OTA refund not received? How to escalate via AirSewa and CCPA in 2026
By Ishaani Reddy (Ishaani Reddy writes about the consumer-protection side of travel — DGCA passenger rights, OTA refund policies, hidden fees, dynamic-currency-conversion traps and the seven kinds of booking mistakes that quietly drain Indian travel budgets.) · Published · 11 min read
Your flight got cancelled or you cancelled a refundable ticket, and the OTA has been sitting on your money for six weeks. The airline says ask the OTA; the OTA says ask the airline. Here is how you actually break the deadlock — and which escalation rung genuinely has teeth in India.
TL;DR — the escalation ladder
If your OTA refund hasn't arrived after 30 days, escalate in this order: (1) the airline's or OTA's Grievance Redressal Officer (GRO), (2) AirSewa (airsewa.gov.in) for airline-related complaints, (3) National Consumer Helpline 1915 (or consumerhelpline.gov.in) for OTA-specific issues, and (4) the District Consumer Forum for cases under ₹50 lakh. You do not need a lawyer for the Consumer Forum. AirSewa resolves roughly 58% of aviation complaints within 15 days based on DGCA figures — it's your fastest meaningful lever after the OTA's own GRO.
Why refunds get stuck between OTAs and airlines
Here's the structural problem: when you buy a flight ticket through MakeMyTrip, ixigo, EaseMyTrip, Cleartrip or any other OTA, your money goes to the OTA. The OTA then pays the airline (minus their margin). When a refund is due, the airline processes it back to the OTA, and the OTA is supposed to pass it on to you. This two-step chain creates two opportunities for delay and blame-shifting.
Airlines process refunds on their own timeline — often 7–10 working days — and then the OTA adds their own processing time, which can be another 5–10 days. Theoretically, a 30-day wait from cancellation to refund is within the outer edge of normal. Beyond 30 days, something has usually gone wrong: the airline refunded to the OTA but the OTA hasn't released it to you (deliberate or system error), or the airline refund itself is stuck (common during airline operational disruptions when hundreds of cancellations are processing simultaneously).
The DGCA's passenger charter requires airlines to process refunds within 7 working days of the cancellation for airline-initiated cancellations, and within a 'reasonable' timeframe for passenger-initiated ones. The charter covers the airline's obligation; OTA processing time is a separate commercial relationship governed by the Consumer Protection Act 2019.
Step 1: Airline GRO and OTA GRO — exhaust internal options first
Before escalating to regulators, you need a documented record of trying to resolve internally. This matters for any subsequent complaint.
Every airline and major OTA licensed in India is required by the Consumer Protection Act 2019 to designate a Grievance Redressal Officer (GRO) whose contact details are publicly available. Find the GRO email address on the airline or OTA's website (look in 'Terms', 'Legal' or 'Customer Support'). Send a formal email — not a chat message, an email — with your booking reference, the cancellation date, the refund amount expected, and the timeline of your attempts to resolve via normal customer support. Give them 15 working days to respond.
For the OTA's GRO: MakeMyTrip, ixigo, Cleartrip and EaseMyTrip all have designated GRO contact details — check their respective websites. The GRO is a real person with accountability, unlike the frontline chat support. Escalation to GRO level often prompts faster action than weeks of chat/phone attempts with first-level support.
Step 2: AirSewa — for aviation-related complaints
AirSewa (airsewa.gov.in) is the DGCA's official aviation complaint portal. It covers airline-related issues: refunds on airline-cancelled flights, compensation for delays and cancellations under DGCA norms, baggage issues, denied boarding, and so on. Based on DGCA-published data, around 58% of AirSewa complaints are resolved within 15 days — which, honestly, is better than I'd expect from any regulatory portal in India.
It works best when the airline is the primary problem: if the airline cancelled your flight and hasn't processed the refund even to the OTA, AirSewa gives you direct regulatory leverage over the airline. If the airline has processed the refund to the OTA but the OTA is holding it, AirSewa's jurisdiction is less clear (the airline can show they did their part). In that scenario, move to Step 3.
To file: register at airsewa.gov.in, select the airline, describe the complaint with dates and amounts, attach your booking confirmation and any communication records. You get a complaint reference number and can track status online. Airlines are required to respond to AirSewa complaints within a defined window.
Step 3: National Consumer Helpline 1915 and CCPA
The National Consumer Helpline (NCH) at 1915 (or consumerhelpline.gov.in) handles consumer disputes including OTA refunds — this is where you go when the OTA specifically is holding your money after the airline has cleared its side. The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), which is the enforcement arm of the Consumer Protection Act, has jurisdiction over 'unfair trade practices' by OTAs and can intervene in systemic issues.
Filing on the NCH portal or via the 1915 helpline creates a formal complaint record. The NCH facilitates conciliation — it contacts the OTA on your behalf and tries to get a resolution. Resolution rates and timelines vary, but having a government complaint reference number on record tends to prompt faster OTA response. The portal is available at consumerhelpline.gov.in and the complaint can be filed in 22 Indian languages.
For the CCPA specifically: you can email them if you believe the OTA is systematically violating consumer rights. This is more appropriate for patterns of behaviour (e.g., many customers reporting the same OTA refusing valid refunds) than individual disputes, but it is an option.
Step 4: District Consumer Forum — no lawyer needed
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (often called the 'Consumer Forum') is your legal final resort, and it is more accessible than most people realise. Under the Consumer Protection Act 2019, you can file a consumer complaint for claims up to ₹50 lakh at the District Forum without a lawyer. Filing fees are nominal (generally a few hundred rupees, scales with claim value). You can file in person or, since 2021, online at the e-daakhil portal (edaakhil.nic.in).
Consumer Forums have awarded refunds plus compensation and legal costs against both airlines and OTAs in flight refund cases. The process is slower than AirSewa — expect 3–6 months for a hearing schedule, though many cases settle when the OTA or airline receives the notice. The act of filing creates a legal notice effect that often resolves things faster than the formal process takes.
For claims over ₹50 lakh (unusual for most individual flight refunds but possible for group bookings or expensive international packages), the jurisdiction shifts to the State Commission, where a lawyer becomes more practically useful.
Practical tips before escalating
A few things that make every step faster:
- Document everything in writing. Screenshots of cancellation confirmation, refund amount shown, every chat/email exchange with dates. Consumer disputes live or die on documentation.
- Know your numbers. The exact refund amount expected, the exact cancellation date, the exact payment method. 'Around ₹8,000' is less useful than '₹8,432 via HDFC credit card ending 5678'.
- Do not make verbal commitments. If the OTA or airline calls you and promises a refund 'in 5 business days', follow up with an email saying 'This confirms our call today at [time] where you committed to refund ₹X by [date].' This creates a written record even if the original promise was verbal.
- Book airline-direct when stakes are high. The refund path is much simpler when there is no OTA in the middle. FlightGPT shows you both airline-direct and OTA prices — on expensive tickets where refund risk is real, the airline-direct price is often worth the slight premium for the simpler refund process.
Frequently asked questions
How long should I wait before escalating an OTA flight refund?
For airline-cancelled flights, escalate if you haven't seen the refund within 30 days of the cancellation — airlines are supposed to process within 7 working days and OTAs add a few more days of processing. For passenger-cancelled tickets on refundable fares, 30 days is also a reasonable threshold. Start with the OTA's Grievance Redressal Officer email before going to regulators; most cases resolve there once you escalate past front-line support.
What is AirSewa and how effective is it?
AirSewa (airsewa.gov.in) is the DGCA's official aviation complaint portal. It covers airline-related issues including refunds on airline-cancelled flights. DGCA-published data suggests around 58% of complaints are resolved within 15 days. It's most effective for complaints directly against airlines. For OTA-specific refund delays (where the airline has cleared funds to the OTA), use the National Consumer Helpline 1915 instead.
Can I complain against MakeMyTrip or ixigo specifically — they aren't airlines?
Yes. OTAs are covered by the Consumer Protection Act 2019 as 'e-commerce entities'. File with the National Consumer Helpline (1915 or consumerhelpline.gov.in) or, if the amount warrants it, the District Consumer Forum. The e-daakhil portal (edaakhil.nic.in) lets you file online. OTAs are legally required to have a Grievance Redressal Officer — start there first, as it's the fastest route if you escalate within the OTA's own structure.
Do I need a lawyer to go to the Consumer Forum?
No — for claims up to ₹50 lakh you can represent yourself at the District Consumer Forum. Filing fees are nominal (typically a few hundred rupees). You can also file online via the e-daakhil portal. Many airline and OTA refund disputes are settled before a formal hearing once the respondent receives the court notice.
The airline says the refund was sent to the OTA. The OTA says they haven't received it. Who do I chase?
Get something in writing from the airline confirming the refund was processed — even a screenshot of their customer support message saying 'refund of ₹X was sent to [OTA name] on [date]'. Take that to the OTA's GRO and give them 15 days to locate and release it. If the OTA still doesn't act, escalate to NCH 1915 with both the airline's confirmation and the OTA's non-response as evidence.
What compensation can I claim beyond the refund itself?
Under the Consumer Protection Act, the Consumer Forum can award compensation for mental agony and costs — in flight refund cases, awards of ₹2,000–₹10,000 in compensation over and above the refund amount are common in lower value disputes, based on published case outcomes. There is no guaranteed amount; it depends on the facts and the forum's discretion. The threat of compensation liability is part of what makes OTAs settle quickly once a formal complaint is filed.