Fliers booked on Go First flights are having a harrowing time as they are not getting refunds and are having to buy tickets from other airlines at higher rates.
The Wadia group-owned budget carrier has cancelled all flights since May 3 and moved the National Company Law Tribunal with a plea to start voluntary insolvency proceedings.
The airline was operating only three flights from Kolkata before stalling operations — to Delhi, Bagdogra and Port Blair.
A Go First spokesperson said they had a “clear policy” on refunds.
“We wish to inform you that on cancellation of your PNR you will receive a ‘credit note’ which is a confirmation of your PNR being cancelled. The applicable refund amount will duly be processed to the original mode of payment,” a statement from the spokesperson said.
Aniket Sengupta, a senior executive with a private bank, had booked a Go First ticket for May 5 from Delhi to Kolkata. Sengupta, who works in Delhi and planned to visit his parents in New Town, was to take the 5.30am flight.
He had booked a one-way ticket for around Rs 6,400 on April 28. On May 3, Sengupta received a message from Go First that the flight had been cancelled. The message had a contact number.
“I called the number. I was kept on hold for 24 minutes and no one responded,” said Sengupta. “Next morning, I logged into the airline’s website for a refund. After that, I received a mail from Go First with a credit note. But I am yet to get the actual refund and there is no credit in my account.”
He had to book a fresh ticket to Kolkata on another airline for Rs 7,800.
Kolkata businessman Firoz Ahmed had booked eight tickets on a Go First flight for a family trip to the Andamans for May 8 and return tickets for May 15. He had spent Rs 1.2 lakh for the tickets and another Rs 1.5 lakh on hotel bookings.
“I had requested the two hotels to reschedule our stay but they are refusing. The hotels are telling us that there was no-show on our part and so we have to pay cancellation charges and book afresh. Until this is resolved we cannot rebook our tickets,” said Ahmed.
Ahmed said the travel agent who booked their tickets told them that he would not refund the amount unless Go First reimbursed him.
Travel agents, too, said they were facing problems as the airline was sending credit notes, which could only be used to book tickets with the same airline. Since they are not getting back the money, the travel agents are not reimbursing the clients.
“We had booked for a group of around 20 people on a Go First flight from Leh to Delhi in the last week of May. The fares were around Rs 11,000 for each passenger. Now, the passengers have asked us to cancel the tickets,” said Raktim Roy, general manager of Dolphin Travels.
“They have booked tickets of other airlines for around Rs 17,000. This is the peak tourist season and fares are very high,” said Roy.
“We are calling clients booked on Go First flights to our office and asking them to cancel their tickets because they might get stranded. We don’t know when the airline will be able to operate again,” he said.
Roy said he has around Rs 5 lakh in the Go First wallet, the worth of all the tickets that have been cancelled or booked on future dates.
“The airline had offered incentives to agencies to deposit funds in their accounts barely a week before the insolvency proceedings started. This showed the intent of the airline was not right,” said Manav Soni, chairman, Travel Agents Association of India, eastern region.
“Also, the airline’s announcement that they would make refunds is misleading because the money is going into agents’ credit wallets and not to the bank account, which is why we are facing a big challenge when clients are asking for refunds,” he said.
Go First had cancelled many flights in the recent past.
A resident of Gariahat, who had gone to Darjeeling with her friends, had booked the return ticket on a Go First flight on April 18. The flight was cancelled and the group had to rebook with another airline at a much higher rate.