Man denied boarding over name mismatch, airline, travel company told to pay Rs 78,920

Boarding denied

The complainant stated that she had booked round-trip tickets through a travel portal for her parents to travel between Delhi and Newark. The complainant’s father, who the commission noted was a senior citizen with medical conditions and wheelchair-bound, was denied boarding at Newark Airport on the return journey. Airline staff allegedly cited a discrepancy in his name on the guest list. They were subsequently forced to purchase another ticket at the airline counter for Rs 71,241.

Following the incident, the complainant sought a refund of the additional ticket cost. According to the complainant, the airline and travel company agreed to refund the amount in two parts- Rs 65,920 towards the ticket price and Rs 5,321 as the fare difference. It was alleged that despite repeated follow ups, the complainant didn’t receive the refund.

The travel company denied the allegations and argued that it had processed Rs 65,490 after deducting a convenience fee and that the amount had been credited to the complainant’s wallet after the bank transfer failed. It claimed that a link was subsequently sent to obtain bank details for processing the refund. It further stated that the complainant’s father was denied boarding by the airline and that their claim for compensation is not applicable to the company as it merely acts as a facilitator to enable booking of flight tickets.

The airline also denied the allegations and said that the boarding denial followed a system alert over a mismatch in the passenger’s name and relied on its policy requiring international passengers’ names to match their identification documents. It said that it had no control over the manner in which the complainant names were entered. It also said that a full refund had been approved and that the complainant was advised to contact the travel agency to claim refund.

The commission said the documents showed that both opposite parties had agreed to refund but had failed to actually return the amount. It held that withholding the amount despite the assurance of refund amounted to deficiency in service and unfair trade practice.

The commission accordingly partly allowed the complaint and directed the two opposite parties to refund Rs 65,920 besides paying Rs 10,000 compensation and Rs 3,000 litigation costs.

Takeaway

Airlines and travel agencies must ensure that refunds are promptly processed once they have agreed to do so. Failure to return the promised refund amounts to deficiency in service and unfair trade practice.

For consumer-related grievances, individuals may contact the consumer helpline in their respective states and Union territories (Karnataka: 1800-425-9339) or call the National Consumer Helpline at 1915 for assistance.

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