Flight delayed in India: meals, hotel and refund
Checked against the DGCA rules on .
What happened to your flight?
Tap one. Two more taps and you see what the rules may allow, with the rule and the source. Free, no account needed.
A long delay in India brings care from the airline: food and drink, then a hotel room if it goes on, and for a domestic flight the choice of a refund. The DGCA rules do not set a cash payment for the delay itself.
Food and drink
The airline owes you meals and refreshments once the wait passes a point that depends on how long the flight is scheduled to take:
Food and drink owed after a delay of
2 hours
3 hours
4 hours
If the airline gave you nothing and you bought food yourself, keep the receipts. They are how that money is asked back.
More than 6 hours: another flight or a refund
For a flight within India delayed by more than 6 hours, the rules give you the choice of another flight or a full refund. This part of the rule covers domestic flights.
A hotel room
- After a delay of more than 24 hours.
- After more than 6 hours, if your flight was due to leave between 8 pm and 3 am.
The rules cover getting you to and from the hotel as well.
How long was the delay, really?
Airlines and passengers do not always agree. Independent flight records show when a flight actually left and landed, which settles most of it. If what you remember and what the records show are far apart, a person should look before anything is claimed. The free check does this comparison for you.
What to keep
- Your boarding pass, which proves you were there.
- Any message from the airline about the delay.
- Receipts for food, a room or travel you paid for yourself.
If the airline does not put things right, see how to escalate an airline complaint.
Find out for your flight
The free check asks what happened, looks up your flight in independent flight records, and shows what the rules say, with the rule and the source. No account needed.
Where this comes from
CAR Section 3, Series M, Part IV — facilities to passengers affected by denied boarding, cancellation and delay
Civil Aviation Requirements, Section 3 — Air Transport, Series M, Part IV, Rev. 4 (25 January 2023, effective 15 February 2023)
The figures here are the ones our rules engine uses (rule set 2026.10.2). They are the most the rules allow, not a promise: nothing is owed until an airline agrees to pay it.
Nivaanzo is run by SpecShield Software Private Limited. We are not a law firm and not connected to any airline. Airline names are used only to say which airline a rule applies to.