Woman Stranded Srinagar Missed Check In Vistara Pay Rs 19916

The Kolkata District Consumer Commission has ordered Vistara Airlines to refund a passenger’s ticket cost of Rs 4,916 along with Rs 10,000 as compensation and Rs 5,000 litigation costs after she was denied boarding despite holding a valid ticket.

Dealing with the plea of a woman who was travelling from Srinagar to Delhi, a bench of president Kallol Chattopadhyay and member Udayan Roy highlighted that the communication between the complainant and the representative of the airline authority has established the fact that the complainant, being refused boarding to the scheduled flight, has claimed a refund of the entire money towards the ticket price, which was not considered by the authority concerned.

“Repeated requests and such demands of the complainant went in vain due to the adamant attitude of the said authority. It is thus a clear case of unfair trade practice as well as deficiency in service on the part of the airline, for which the complainant suffered harassment and mental agony,” the court said on June 4.

This is a complaint filed by a woman against Vistara, owned by TATA SAI Airlines Ltd, under Section 35 of the Consumer Protection Act 2019. According to her, she booked a flight for her journey from Srinagar to Delhi with Vistara on October 10, 2022.

She arrived at Srinagar Airport well within the designated time frame, where she found herself in a queue for check-in behind several passengers who were dealing with excess luggage charges.

She claimed that she waited patiently for her turn when she observed that the check-in executive moved ahead from the counter, leaving the passenger waiting in the queue.

With the advice of some Airport Staff, the complainant joined the queue of another line, and at that time, she found that the check-in executive of the erstwhile counter returned but remained outside the counter. When the complainant approached him to request a check-in pass, he informed her that check-in was closed and refused to assist her further.

She also alleged that some mismanagement of the airport authority at the relevant point in time, some monitoring installation process was going on in the said counters, creating chaos in the said place.

Further contention of the complainant was that she tried to book another flight on the same day but lost money to the tune of Rs 4271 as she booked a ticket for the next month.

She thereafter managed a second flight ticket to return to Delhi, spending an amount of Rs 5111 after four days, and thus, she was compelled to stay at Srinagar, incurring expenses for an additional four days.

The complainant sent several letters and emails on multiple occasions seeking clarification and a refund of money from Vistara Airlines, but all such efforts of the complainant went in vain as such Airline Authority did not pay any heed to such request of the complainant.

The TATA SAI Airlines Ltd did not appear, and the court proceeded ex parte against the principal opposite party. The court noted that it did not find any material allegation made by the complainant against the Airport Authority of India, except her stray statement of causing disturbance in the boarding pass issuing counter of Vistara for the purpose of installing computers.

Appearing for the complainants, the advocate contended that the airport authority had nothing to do with issuing boarding passes or with boarding the passenger to the flight, and as such, there is no deficiency of service on the part of the opposite party.

Jagriti Rai works with The Indian Express, where she writes from the vital intersection of law, gender, and society. Working on a dedicated legal desk, she focuses on translating complex legal frameworks into relatable narratives, exploring how the judiciary and legislative shifts empower and shape the consciousness of citizens in their daily lives. Expertise Socio-Legal Specialization: Jagriti brings a critical, human-centric perspective to modern social debates. Her work focuses on how legal developments impact gender rights, marginalized communities, and individual liberties. Diverse Editorial Background: With over 4 years of experience in digital and mainstream media, she has developed a versatile reporting style. Her previous tenures at high-traffic platforms like The Lallantop and Dainik Bhaskar provided her with deep insights into the information needs of a diverse Indian audience. Academic Foundations: Post-Graduate in Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), India’s premier media training institute. Master of Arts in Ancient History from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), providing her with the historical and cultural context necessary to analyze long-standing social structures and legal evolutions. ... Read More