Flight delay: AI to pay Rs 50k compensation

New Delhi, Mar 29: Air India has been directed to pay a compensation of Rs 50,000 to a complainant for failing to inform passengers about a delayed flight.

The complaint was filed in the consumer court by Inder Mohan Taneja in 2005.

The Delhi State Consumer Commission said, "In this case, no information was conveyed to the complainant after the initial information about the flight being delayed for hours."

The airline approached the Commission challenging the Delhi District Forum's direction to pay Rs 50,000 compensation to the complainant.

The Commission bench, comprising President Justice B A Zaidi and member M L Sahni, took note of the inconvenience and misery caused to passenger.

The Commission said that the airline functionaries acted in a "very discourteous and negligent manner in consequence whereof the complainant was put to great hardship and inconvenience."

An Air India flight, which was to fly to Delhi from London Heathrow Airport, was delayed by two days. However, the information was not disseminated among passengers causing inconvenience to them.

Air India, however, had paid Rs 11,400 towards fare and Rs 3,800 as compensation to each of the persons who registered complaints with the carrier but Taneja chose to approach the consumer court seeking higher damages.

OneIndia News