The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh, has directed Air India Express to pay a compensation of Rs 15,000 and refund Rs 1,26,771 for denying an IAS officer and his family boarding at the Dubai International Airport.
In a complaint filed before the commission, Veerendra Kumar Meena, a senior IAS officer and a city resident, had stated that he, along with his wife and son, visited Dubai for a vacation from June 9 to 17, 2024. For their return journey, they had purchased tickets of an Air India Express flight to Amritsar, through a travel agent for Rs 18,420 per person.
Rana Gurtej Singh, counsel for the complainant, said the scheduled departure time for the flight was 8.50 am on June 17, while boarding was scheduled to commence at 7.50 am. The family arrived at the Dubai airport approximately two and a half hours prior to the scheduled departure.
They had completed the check-in formalities, obtained their boarding passes and deposited their luggage. The boarding passes clearly indicated that the gate would close at 8.25 am, 25 minutes prior to the flight’s departure. They arrived at the boarding gate well within the allotted time. However, the airline’s ground staff stopped them, claiming that the boarding process had already concluded. This despite the fact that boarding for other passengers was still underway. It was alleged that no prior notice was given regarding the gate closing ahead of schedule. Consequently, they were stranded at the airport and were compelled to purchase new tickets.
Subsequently, the family travelled from Dubai to New Delhi via Jaipur on a different flight. For this alternative journey, they incurred an additional expense of Rs 42,257 per person. The complainant further stated that due to their delayed arrival in India, he was unable to join his duties on time, which led to him facing administrative difficulties.
On the other hand, the airlines denied the allegations and claimed that the complainant and his family members failed to reach the boarding gate within the stipulated time of 20 minutes prior to the scheduled departure.
After hearing of the arguments, the commission said the available tickets and boarding passes clearly indicated that the complainants had reached the boarding gate in time and still not allowed to board the flight, which amounted to deficiency in service. They were compelled to purchase alternative tickets and pay extra amount of Rs 1,26,771. In view of this, the airlines and the travel agent are directed to pay Rs 1,26,771 to the complainant along with interest at the rate of 9% per annum. They were also directed to pay Rs 15,000 to the complainant as compensation for causing mental agony and harassment and to pay 10,000 as costs of litigation.
