Airlines to pay for not informing passengers before cancelling flight

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune news service

Chandigarh, June 9

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission here has directed an airline operator to pay a compensation of Rs 17,000 to a consumer for not informing her before cancelling the flight.

Terming the act as “deficiency of services”, the commission also ordered the operator to refund the cost of the ticket – Rs 11,796 – to the consumer.

Sector 21 residents Garima Garg and Latika Garg had approached the commission after the operator allegedly failed to address their grievances.

The duo told the commission that they had booked online tickets for a GoAir flight from Chandigarh to Hyderabad on November 2, last year. The flight was scheduled to leave for Hyderabad at

However, on December 13, 2020, when the duo logged on to the GoAir website for to opt for specific seat numbers, they were shocked to know that the flight had been cancelled.

A notice was sent to the airline operator seeking its version of the case. However, nobody appeared before the commission on their behalf.

After hearing the arguments, the commission noted that the airline operator had “certainly indulged in unfair trade practice” by not informing the consumer regarding the cancellation of the flight.

The commission directed the operator to refund Rs 11,796 to the complainants and also pay Rs 10,000 as compensation to them for deficiency in service, unfair trade practice and for causing harassment to them.

The commission further ordered the company to operator to pay a sum of Rs 7,000 to the complainants as litigation expenses.

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