The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission of Chandigarh has directed an airline to pay Rs 20,000 compensation each to five members of a local family for the delay of the flight.
Sanjay Garg and his four family members from Chandigarh stated in their complaint that they have purchased five return tickets from Air India by paying a total amount of Rs 2,90,187, for New Delhi to Port Blair and vice versa for celebrating New Year’s eve of 2019 at Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
It was told to the commission that on January 1, 2019, while returning from Port Blair, a dispute arose between pilot and airlines as the latter apparently has not kept a business class seat for the former from a flight from Visakhapatnam to New Delhi as per her entitlement, and therefore, there was a delay of three hours. Due to this, Garg and his family members missed their train from New Delhi to Chandigarh for which they have paid Rs 5,725 as fare and had to book new tickets for another train.
Garg said he and his family members suffered a loss of Rs 5,725 and harassment and thus requested refund along with compensation and litigation costs to the complainant.
The Air India, in its reply, denied all the allegations and stated that the fight in question reached at New Delhi on time and there is no delay in reaching its destination. Hence, there is no deficiency in service.
The commission, while citing a similar matter in case titled, “Dr Virendra Singh versus Air India,”, held that, “it is the duty of the airlines to give sufficient explanation. However, no explanation or justification for the same has been given by the airlines in the present case.”
It further stated that it is proper and just to held that the flight in question reached three hours late, causing harassment and agony to the complaint and his family and thus, they deserved to be compensated for it. The commission thus ordered Air India to pay Rs 20,000 to each of the complainants on account of harassment and mental agony suffered by them along with cost of Rs 20,000 for litigation expenses.
