Kerala man wins Rs 1.36 lakh payout after missing connecting flight to Riyadh

Missed flight due to delay

The woman claimed that her husband, after availing leave from his workplace in Saudi Arabia, reached his native place in Kollam on June 27, 2017. He was scheduled to travel from Mumbai to Saudi Arabia on an early morning Saudi Airlines flight on September 11, 2017, and had booked his tickets accordingly.

However, his Air India flight from Thiruvananthapuram to Mumbai was delayed by more than three hours, and by the time it reached Mumbai airport, his connecting flight to Riyadh had already departed.

The complainant claimed that her husband immediately approached the airline authorities at Mumbai airport and was initially assured accommodation and a ticket on the next flight to Saudi Arabia. However, the assurance allegedly did not materialise, and he had to spend nearly 24 hours in the airport lounge.

The woman further claimed that the airline did not arrange food or a proper place for him to rest, and that he suffered a financial loss of Rs 83,000, comprising the cost of the lapsed ticket and the newly purchased ticket. The woman was represented by advocate Jayakumari T K in the matter.

Offered meals, stay: Airline

The airline, represented by advocate R Jagadish Kumar, argued that as soon as the delay was confirmed, its call centre tried to contact the passenger, but the phone number provided in the booking records was initially unreachable. It claimed that it eventually contacted him and informed him about the delay.

The airline said refreshments were served to passengers waiting for the delayed flight and that its Mumbai airport manager made efforts to accommodate the man on the next available flight to Riyadh. However, no seats were available.

It also claimed that meals and refreshments were provided and hotel accommodation was offered, but the passenger chose to travel on the delayed Air India flight to Mumbai and, therefore, did not avail the hotel accommodation. The airline denied any deficiency in service and sought dismissal of the complaint with costs.

No reason given for delay: Forum

The commission noted that Air India admitted that the delay of its flight resulted in the passenger missing his Saudi Airlines connection flight, but failed to produce evidence to support its claim that assistance, food and refreshments had been provided.

It also found that the airline did not give any detailed reason for the flight’s delay, observing that it was duty-bound to provide passengers who miss connecting flights with timely information and valid reasons for the delay. Accordingly, the commission directed Air India officials to jointly and severally pay Rs 83,000 towards the monetary loss, Rs 50,000 as compensation for mental agony and Rs 3,000 towards litigation costs, totalling Rs 1.36 lakh, within one month.

Takeaway

This ruling highlights that airlines have a duty to assist passengers who miss connecting flights due to delays, and provide timely information and valid reasons for such delays.

For consumer-related grievances, individuals may contact the consumer helpline in their respective states and Union territories (Kerala: 1800-425-1550) or call the National Consumer Helpline at 1915 for assistance.

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