GG News Bureau
Mumbai, 22nd June: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Mumbai (Suburban) has directed budget airline SpiceJet to pay ₹25,000 to a senior citizen passenger for issuing an incorrect alternate ticket, resulting in mental harassment and monetary loss. The commission also ordered an additional ₹5,000 towards litigation costs.
The order, passed on June 17, held the airline guilty of “deficient service and negligent behaviour” during the rescheduling of the passenger’s return flight from Darbhanga to Mumbai in December 2020, which was cancelled due to bad weather.
The complainant, a Ghatkopar-based senior citizen, had booked a round-trip from Mumbai to Darbhanga for December 5 and 7, 2020. While the outbound journey was completed, the return flight was cancelled. Citing urgency due to a scheduled online PhD exam, the passenger requested alternate travel. SpiceJet arranged a Patna-Kolkata-Mumbai flight. However, upon reaching Patna, he discovered that the connecting flight from Kolkata had already departed before his arrival — rendering the itinerary unviable.
Stranded, the complainant had to purchase a new ticket for the next morning, missed his examination, and claimed mental distress and financial loss. He approached the consumer forum seeking a refund and ₹2 lakh compensation.
While the panel acknowledged that the flight cancellation was due to uncontrollable weather conditions, it found SpiceJet liable for negligence in issuing an invalid ticket. It also noted that although the airline later reimbursed the passenger and refunded the ticket cost, it could not escape responsibility for the initial error.
Interestingly, the commission also noted partial negligence on the part of the complainant for not verifying the ticket details at the time of rebooking.
Nevertheless, the panel concluded that the airline’s actions led to avoidable mental and financial stress for the passenger and awarded ₹25,000 in compensation and ₹5,000 in legal costs.
