Union Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi directed the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) and the Department of Consumer Affairs on May 23 to investigate whether online flight booking platforms charge consumers cancellation fees higher than what airlines actually levy.
What triggered it: When consumers book flights through online travel aggregators (OTAs) like Agoda, MakeMyTrip, or Cleartrip rather than directly on the airline’s website, the OTA may charge its own cancellation fee on top of the airline’s fee.
BJP member Tejinder Bagga posted on X, flagging the following discrepancy on his Agoda booking for an Akasa Air ticket:
- Agoda’s cancellation fee shown to Bagga: Rs 4,764, leaving a refund of Rs 1,571
- Akasa Air’s actual cancellation fee: Rs 299, with a refund of Rs 6,076
- The difference: Rs 4,465, or 15x the airline’s actual cancellation fee
Bagga tagged Agoda India, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), and consumer rights handle Jago Grahak Jago in his post, asking: “If the airline is deducting only Rs 299, why is Agoda charging me Rs 4,764? That’s an extra Rs 4,465 for what exactly? Charging 15 times the airline’s actual cancellation fee for the same ticket feels completely unethical.”
What the probe covers:
- Whether platforms charge cancellation fees beyond what airlines levy
- Whether fees are disclosed to consumers at the time of booking
- All online ticket booking platforms, not just Agoda
Joshi posted on X:
“I have directed the Department of Consumer Affairs and CCPA to investigate whether online ticket booking platforms are imposing excessive cancellation charges on consumers, beyond what is charged by airlines or disclosed at the time of booking. Have directed them to check other online ticket booking platforms too. Such practices undermine transparency and consumer trust and, if found to be unfair or in violation of consumer rights, may amount to Unfair Trade Practices under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. CCPA will take necessary action, including class action measures wherever appropriate, to protect consumer interests and ensure fair treatment of consumers.”
The CCPA issued a notice to Uber over its advance tip feature in May 2025; Joshi expanded the probe to Ola and Rapido the following day. He similarly directed a detailed investigation into Flipkart’s cash-on-delivery extra charges in October 2025, expanding it to all e-commerce platforms.
What consumers can do: Consumers who cancelled a flight via an OTA and received a lower refund than expected can check the airline’s own…
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