Airlines fined Rs 25K

Manmeet Singh Gill
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, November 18

The district consumer disputes redressal forum has directed Jet Airways to pay Rs 20,000 as compensation and Rs 5,000 as litigation expenses to a local resident who was not allowed to board a flight despite having a confirmed ticket.

Rohit Sharma, a resident of Rani Ka Bagh, had filed a complaint against Jet Airways stating that he booked an air ticket online for travelling from New Delhi to Amritsar.

He said that he was not allowed to board the aircraft as the staff concerned claimed that the said aircraft was already overbooked. He stated that he had got his ticket confirmed for the journey. The complainant added that he was harassed and was paid refund in a humiliating manner.

The opposite party, in its reply, stated that on the date of travel, the said flight was overbooked. It stated that at times such overbooking lead to reported instances of denied boarding. The reply added that overbooking of fight was not a deficiency in service on the part of the airlines.

The consumer forum observed that not permitting a passenger, holding confirmed ticket to board a flight, amounted to deficiency in service on the part of an airline and as such opposite party is liable to pay compensation to the complainant.