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- Takeoff is melting: Russians want to simplify the refund of money for cancelled flights
Takeoff is melting: Russians want to simplify the refund of money for cancelled flights
The aviation authorities are discussing simplifying the refund procedure for tickets when canceling scheduled flights. It is proposed to introduce a single electronic procedure: a passenger will only need one confirmation without submitting a separate application. The funds must be received within 10 days. The Ministry of Transport has already requested the opinion of market participants on the initiative of State Duma deputies. Aeroflot and Pobeda note that passengers can still promptly issue a ticket refund through their personal account on the website.
Why do passengers want to make an undeclared refund of air tickets
The Ministry of Transport has asked carriers and the Association of Air Transport Operators (AEVT) for information on their position on simplifying refunds for tickets in case of cancellation of a regular flight. In addition, the agency asked for information about the actions of the passenger necessary to receive money in case of a forced refund, in accordance with the rules of the airlines. Izvestia has reviewed the document.
In October of this year, State Duma deputies from the New People faction addressed the Ministry of Transport with a proposal to review the ticket refund procedure.
"The cancellation of the flight puts the passenger in front of the need to quickly decide whether to use another transportation or refund the money. At the same time, the airline already has information about the cancellation, but receiving funds often requires a citizen to apply separately, fill out a form and wait for a response," their letter says (Izvestia has it).
If the ticket is purchased through an intermediary, the procedure becomes even more complicated: the passenger has to figure out who to send the application to — the airline or the agency. As a result, a person who is not to blame for the cancellation of the flight is forced to independently process the refund, the parliamentarians note. This is especially inconvenient in a situation where the trip needs to be urgently rescheduled and the funds received for the ticket are needed to purchase a new one.
The complexity of the procedure is also evidenced by the recommendations of government agencies. Thus, in an explanation dated July 10, 2026, Rospotrebnadzor advises passengers to receive confirmation from the airline when canceling a flight, make a claim and attach a ticket and documents confirming payment to it. These recommendations primarily relate to cases where passengers have to defend their rights on their own. At the same time, different airlines already have electronic forms for making refunds, but the rules for their use vary.
The deputies cite Smartavia as an example. If the ticket is purchased on the carrier's website, the passenger is asked to fill out a special form. When buying through an agency, you must contact the place of purchase of the ticket. However, the application may take up to 30 days to be reviewed. This is the deadline for processing the request, and not the established period for disbursing funds, the authors of the initiative specify.
According to the deputies, the law guarantees the passenger the right to a refund, but does not establish a single procedure that would allow it to be processed in one action — without a separate application and re-submission of documents confirming the cancellation of the flight.
To solve the problem, parliamentarians propose to introduce a mandatory electronic procedure. It will be enough for the passenger to confirm the cancellation of the proposed alternative flight. You will not need to submit a separate application and re-confirm the cancellation. The money is offered to be refunded within 10 calendar days.
In addition, the deputies propose that the Ministry of Transport, together with the Federal Air Transport Agency, airlines and ticket agencies, develop a unified mechanism for electronic interaction and informing passengers about the refund status.
— A proposal has been received from the deputy corps to work out a single electronic procedure for refunding funds for air tickets. The Ministry of Transport is working on this issue with participants in the transportation market to present a consolidated position, the ministry's press service confirmed to Izvestia.
How business and public figures relate to the initiative
The airlines believe that passengers have no significant problems with electronic ticket refunds.
—Aeroflot has already implemented the possibility of refunding or exchanging tickets through the airline's online channels," the carrier's press service told Izvestia. At the same time, they did not specify whether a separate application is required for making a refund.
The company also noted that when the schedule changes due to time constraints, passengers are informed through Telegram channels and Maks.
Pobeda also stated that passengers can already issue a refund without additional applications.
— Pobeda is constantly improving its services, focusing on customer needs, especially in situations where flights are canceled for reasons beyond their control. The airline already has a simple refund mechanism for tickets in case of flight cancellation, the press service of the carrier told Izvestia.
They clarified that it is enough to log into your personal account on the website and issue a refund in one click. In the same way, you can independently exchange a ticket for another flight.
— We have provided these opportunities, among other things, for the prompt resolution of customer issues with time restrictions on airport operations. The deadline for crediting funds depends on the bank and the payment method. The fastest way to get money back is through the Quick payment System (SBP), usually within an hour, the company said.
Izvestia sent inquiries to other airlines and to AEVT. The Association of Travel Aggregators was unable to promptly respond to editorial questions.
At the same time, passengers who purchase tickets through intermediaries most often have difficulties with refunds. The All-Russian public organization for the protection of Passengers' Rights, Passengers Association, however, believes that the problem lies not so much in the return procedure as in the actions of the carriers themselves.
— The key problem now is not the undeclared refund of tickets, but the fact that airlines, especially when threatened by UAVs, cancel flights at night in order not to pay for accommodation and meals, and after a couple of hours, when passengers leave the airport, they appear on the schedule. As a result, people do not catch a plane, do not receive proper services and lose money," Ilya Zotov, chairman of the organization, told Izvestia.
In his opinion, an automatic refund without passenger confirmation can create additional problems: flights are not always completely canceled — sometimes they are postponed or passengers are offered to take off, for example, in a day.
At the same time, for many passengers traveling to Siberia or the Far East, buying a new ticket at the last moment can be very expensive, the expert noted. In addition, if a person is flying with connecting flights of different airlines and one of them is canceled for reasons beyond the control of the passenger, he should have the right to cancel the second flight, which he no longer has time for.
At the same time, according to Ilya Zotov, today it is not difficult for most airlines to issue a refund through their personal account or support service.
The initiative is certainly useful for passengers, said Oleg Pavlov, Chairman of the Public Consumer Initiative. According to him, today a person whose trip was disrupted through no fault of his own is often forced to spend extra time submitting applications, correspondence and clarifying relations with a carrier or agent.
— Refunds should be as simple and fast as possible, and not turn into another problem for the consumer. The introduction of a mandatory electronic refund procedure will make this procedure clear and transparent, regardless of where the ticket was purchased. Uniform rules will help eliminate situations when an airline and an intermediary redirect a passenger to each other, reduce the number of disputes and complaints, and increase public confidence in transportation," the public figure told Izvestia.
He expects that the proposal will find support in the Ministry of Transport and will be implemented as soon as possible. The consumer should not suffer because the refund procedure lags behind the level of digitalization of airline ticket sales.
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