Air India delay: Kerala man wins payout after 9 years
āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻāĻžāĻļ: āĻŽāĻā§āĻāĻ˛āĻŦāĻžāĻ° āĨ¤ āĻāĻāĻ¸ā§āĻ ā§Ļā§Ē, ā§¨ā§Ļā§¨ā§Ŧ
A Kerala man has won a nine-year legal battle against Air India after a delayed flight left him stranded overnight at Mumbai airport and forced him to spend thousands of rupees to return to his job in Saudi Arabia.
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Thiruvananthapuram, ordered Air India to pay Kapildev âš136,000 in compensation for financial losses, mental distress and legal expenses caused by the disruption, according to a case reported by Onmanorama.
What happened?
Kapildev, a 42-year-old driver working in Saudi Arabia, was returning from Kerala after leave in September 2017. He was booked on an Air India connecting journey from Thiruvananthapuram to Mumbai, followed by a flight to Saudi Arabia.
The domestic flight was delayed by more than two hours. Despite checking with airline staff about the impact on his connecting flight, he reached Mumbai to find that his international flight had already departed.
How the delay cost him money
With no affordable seats available on the next Saudi-bound flight, Kapildevâs family arranged around âš49,000 through a travel agency in Saudi Arabia for a new ticket.
Including the unused ticket cost, he said his total financial loss was around âš83,000 . He also alleged that Air India did not provide accommodation or adequate assistance while he waited overnight at Mumbai airport.
What Air India said
Air India denied any deficiency in service, saying the delay was caused by the late arrival of the incoming aircraft. The airline said it attempted to contact passengers, provided refreshments and tried to arrange an alternative flight.
Consumer commissionâs decision
The commission ruled in Kapildevâs favour, saying Air India failed to provide sufficient evidence to justify the delay or prove that the disruption was beyond its control.
The airline was directed to pay:
âš83,000 for financial losses
âš50,000 for mental agony
âš3,000 towards legal costs
The total compensation amounted to âš136,000.
Kapildev told Onmanorama that the case was not only about compensation but also about reminding passengers that they have legal options when airlines fail to provide adequate support during travel disruptions.
Source: Gulf News