Doctor Sues Airways after Failing to Board Flight, Consumer court Grants Rs 62,000 Compensation

Apart from directing the Airways to pay Rs 62,000 as compensation, the doctor has been directed to pay Rs 62,000 along with 7% interest.

The case concerned a Vadodara-based doctor, who had sued the Airways back in 2018 after he failed to board a flight from Abu Dhabi to Ahmedabad even though he had confirmed ticket for the same.

The matter goes back to 2017, when the doctor had booked a return ticket of the Airways for San Francisco-Abu Dhabi-Ahmedabad via a travel agent. It was alleged that the airline officials had informed the doctor before he boarded the flight to Abu Dhabi from San Francisco that his boarding pass for Abu Dhabi to Ahmedabad will be given to him after he lands at Abu Dhabi.

However, upon reaching Abu Dhabi, the doctor was informed that the flight to Ahmedabad was overbooked.

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Ahmedabad Mirror adds that even though the doctor wished to upgrade the ticket by paying the difference, he was given an alternate option of taking a flight from Abu Dhabi to Delhi and then Delhi to Ahmedabad.

"The only option I was given was to take Abu Dhabi-Delhi flight and later a Delhi-Ahmedabad flight with a promise that my luggage too would reach Ahmedabad airport," the doctor told TOI.

Even though he was promised that his luggage would reach Ahmedabad, that didn't happen. Ultimately, the luggage was delivered to the doctor in Vadodara and the Airline also had given a compensation of $200 to the doctor.

Suing the Airways, the doctor had approached the Ahmedabad Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and the doctor had sought a compensation amounting to Rs 5 lakh for mental harassment towards damages.

Speaking to Ahmedabad Mirror, the doctor said, "This was the first time I was flying Etihad. If the flight was overbooked by the airline then they should have told me at San Francisco so I could have rescheduled the appointments I gave to my patients. The purpose of the complaint was not money but I wanted the airline to be made accountable."

Defending the Airways, its counsel argued that overbooking is a rare incidence and when it happens the passengers are provided with alternate options of reaching their destinations. A similar arrangement was made for the doctor as well, the counsel contended.

However, after considering the case, the Consumer Court in Ahmedabad opined that the doctor had to face problems for the negligence of the Airways and observed that the doctor should be paid another Rs 62,000 towards compensation along with 7% interest and legal expenses.

Among this Rs 62,000 compensation amount, Rs 22000 was given as compensation for loss in business as the doctor had missed the appointments given to his 22 patients. Further, the Commission awarded the compensation of Rs 20,000 for the luggage issue and another Rs 20,000 for denying the doctor the boarding pass.