Amid heavy fog in North India, leading to visibility at zero metres in the airport area, the cases of flight cancellations are on high.

According to reports, on Sunday as many as 194 flights linking the national capital were delayed.

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Flightradar24, which tracks flights, has put the average delay at Delhi airport at over three hours and the disruption index at its highest level.

Airlines too flagged weather challenges in northern India. Budget carrier IndiGo has said its flight schedules may experience interruptions due to bad weather.

Another domestic airline, SpiceJet, alerted that departures/arrivals and its consequential flights may get affected due to poor visibility in Delhi, Amritsar, Jammu, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Guwahati, Patna, Bagdogra and Darbhanga.

Passengers affected by fog-related disruptions may be eligible for rebooking on the next available flight without additional charges in some cases, and might also be offered a refund for the affected journey.

Amid this situation, there has been a chaos among the flyers for some time. In order to overcome this, it is advisable to track your flight schedule in advance and plan your travel to the airport.

How to check your flight is delayed or not?

In order to check the details of your flight schedule, it is advisable to follow certain steps:

• Go to the airlines website
• Enter the departure and arrival details
• Enter the date of your travel
• Provide the flight number and PNR mentioned on your ticket

The flight tracker feature is applicable for both international and domestic flights so that passengers can keep a check on their flight status.

#6ETravelAdvisory: Due to bad weather, flight operations in #Delhi and #Kolkata are impacted. Please keep a check on your flight status at https://t.co/TQCzzykjgA before leaving for the airport.

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) January 14, 2024

In case of flight delays, there is a provision to offer refreshments or meals to passengers. However, the delay would be considered applicable depending on the duration of flight.

The criteria include if a flight having a block time of up to two and a half hours, is delayed beyond two hours. Also, if a flight having a block time between 2.5-5 hours, is delayed beyond three hours, and if a flight is delayed beyond four hours.

Notably, if the delay is six hours or more, the airliner must communicate the rescheduled time 24 hours before the departure time.

The flyers can also ask for an option of either an alternative flight or even a full refund of the ticket.

According to DGCA guidelines, in case of cancellations, the airline needs to inform the passenger at least two weeks before the travel date and arrange an alternate flight or refund the passenger.

In case the cancellation is announced between two weeks and up to 24 hours before the scheduled time, then the airline is bound to offer an alternate flight or refund the ticket, the guidelines said.

Also, in case the passengers are not informed or they miss the connecting flight on the same ticket number, the airline has to provide an alternate flight or compensation to them.