Complain in writing to the airline first, quoting your PNR, flight number, date and what went wrong, and attach your receipts. If the reply is slow or unsatisfactory, escalate to the airline’s nodal officer and then to its appellate authority. DGCA requires scheduled airlines to publish both contacts. AirSewa and a consumer commission come after that.
Updated July 2026 · HappyFares
Most airline complaints stall for boring reasons: no reference number, no documents, and no idea who to write to next. Here is the escalation ladder that actually exists in India, and how to climb it without losing weeks.
Where should your complaint go first?
Start with the airline’s own complaint channel: the feedback form on its website or app, or the customer care email listed under Contact us. That route generates a case or docket number, which is the single most useful thing you can hold later. A phone call is fine for something urgent, but ask the agent to log a docket and email you the reference.
Timing matters more than tone. If a bag does not arrive, or arrives damaged or opened, file a Property Irregularity Report at the airline’s baggage desk before you leave the arrivals area. Airlines and their insurers treat the PIR as the starting document, and a claim raised days later without one is much harder to push through.
Bought the ticket from a travel agent or an online travel site? Tell them as well. Money usually flows back the way it came, so a refund on an agent booking often has to be released through the seller even after the airline approves it.
What should you actually put in the complaint?
Keep it to one screen and one ask. Put the PNR, ticket number if you have it, flight number, date, sector and passenger names in the first two lines. Then give a dated timeline of what happened, then say exactly what you want: a refund, reimbursement of a specific expense, or a written explanation. Attach the proof instead of describing it.
| Problem | Attach this |
|---|---|
| Delay or cancellation | E-ticket, the airline’s SMS or email about the change, boarding pass, receipts for anything you had to pay for yourself |
| Lost or damaged baggage | PIR copy, bag tag stub, photos of the damage, purchase proof for high value contents |
| Refund not received | Cancellation confirmation, date of cancellation, payment proof, a recent bank or card statement |
| Disputed charge | Payment receipt and a screenshot of the fare rule or add-on price shown to you at booking |
| Staff behaviour | Date, time, location, counter or gate number, staff names if you noted them, witness details |
Avoid firing the same complaint through five channels at once. Duplicate cases get merged or quietly closed, and you lose the clock you started.
Who are the nodal officer and appellate authority?
Every scheduled Indian airline is required by DGCA to run a grievance redressal system with a designated nodal officer and, above that, an appellate authority, and to publish their names, email addresses and phone numbers on its website. Look under Contact us, Grievance redressal or Passenger charter. Both are airline employees rather than government officers, but the step is formal, and it is usually where stalled cases start moving again.
Escalate in order. Write to the nodal officer quoting the original case number, the date you first complained and the reply you received, and keep the tone factual. If nothing changes, send the same file to the appellate authority. Skipping a rung rarely helps, because the higher desk will only ask what the first desk said.
How long should you wait before escalating?
Airlines publish their own turnaround commitments inside their grievance policy, and those stated timelines are the ones to hold them to, so read that page before you start counting days. As a working rule, give the first level a few working days for an acknowledgement and a couple of weeks for a substantive answer, then move up.
Refunds run on a separate track. DGCA rules set out how and when airlines must process eligible refunds, with different treatment depending on how you paid, and statutory taxes and airport user fees are refundable even on fares sold as non-refundable. If your complaint is about money that was promised and never arrived, say so in the subject line and quote the refund reference, not just the PNR.
What comes after the airline: AirSewa or consumer court?
AirSewa is the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s grievance platform, available as a website and an app. You log the complaint, it is routed to the airline or airport concerned, and the record sits with the ministry and DGCA. It costs nothing, and it adds visibility. What it cannot do is act as a court: it will not order compensation or force a refund.
If real money is involved and the airline has refused, a consumer commission under the Consumer Protection Act 2019 is the next step. Complaints can be filed online through the e-Daakhil portal, often without a lawyer, and there is a limitation period, so do not sit on the file for years. Bring the whole paper trail. The case numbers you collected at every stage are what make a complaint look serious.
Common Questions
Does complaining on social media work?
It often gets a fast first response, especially for something happening right now at the airport. Treat it as a shortcut to attention, not as your record. Ask the social team for a case number and move the detail to email, because screenshots of a public thread are weaker evidence than a logged complaint with attachments.
Can I claim compensation for a delayed flight in India?
Sometimes. DGCA’s civil aviation requirements set out what airlines owe passengers for denied boarding, cancellations and long delays, including care such as meals and refreshments and, in defined situations, compensation. There are carve-outs for events outside the airline’s control, such as weather. Read the current CAR text before you frame the claim.
What if I booked through a travel website?
Raise it with both. The airline decides whether a refund is due, and the seller usually has to pass the money back to your card or account. Ask each one in writing to confirm what it has done and on what date, so neither can point at the other without a timestamp attached.
How do I complain about lost baggage?
File the Property Irregularity Report at the airport before leaving, then follow up in writing with the PIR number, your bag tag stub and photos. For international journeys, written claim deadlines under the Montreal Convention are short and strictly applied, so send something in writing quickly even if your list of contents is still incomplete.
Is there a time limit to complain?
Yes, in more than one form. Airline conditions of carriage set their own claim windows, baggage claims on international flights carry treaty deadlines, and consumer complaints have a limitation period under the Consumer Protection Act 2019. None of them reward waiting, so open the file in the same week.
Who handles airport problems rather than airline problems?
Trolleys, washrooms, parking, food pricing and terminal queues belong to the airport operator, which may be the Airports Authority of India or a private operator. Those grievances can also be raised on AirSewa, which routes them to the airport concerned instead of the airline.
Planning your next trip while you sort this one out? Compare fares, baggage rules and timings across airlines on HappyFares, so you know exactly what you are buying before you pay.
Rules, fees and grievance contacts change; verify current specifics with the airline, DGCA or the airport before you travel.
