New Delhi, April 17: Easy Trip Planners Limited, commonly known as EaseMyTrip, one of the leading online travel agencies in India, has come forward to refund the money in cash to the customers from the company’s own account during the time of nation-wide lockdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak. DGCA Asks Airlines to Refund Flight Tickets Without Charging Cancellation Fees.

In India, online travel aggregators had to deposit advance amounts with Indigo, SpiceJet, Go Air, Airasia against which they issue air tickets to passengers. This is kind of a virtual wallet in which airlines refund money to travel aggregators rather reflect directly on bank account.

Amid the lockdown, several airlines had suspended flights and offered credit shell to the customers which they could use later. Presently, as per DGCA’s advisory, airlines have to refund money to customers who had booked tickets between 25th March to 14th April, for travel between 15th April and 3rd May, instead of credit shell.

In this scenario, airlines have been providing money in the virtual account of travel aggregators. Since aviation sector is a cash flow business, they are not able to refund directly to customers. This virtual money will be adjusted with fresh bookings.

Currently, EaseMyTrip is the only company who has been refunding money to the customers bank account even if airlines are providing amounts in EMT’s virtual wallet only.

Speaking on the current situation, Mr. Nishant Pitti, Co-founder and CEO, EaseMyTrip, said “As a responsible corporate we are very much concerned to take this necessary step to provide refund in the form of cash to the customers in the hour of need. We have been receiving money on our virtual wallet from airlines which is of no use for the time being. But still we are paying money to customers bank account from our own expense.”