Air India asked to compensate flyers for causing inconvenience

National carrier Air India has been directed by a consumer forum to compensate a couple for the inconvenience caused to them after it failed to properly coordinate their connecting flight from London to Toronto.

A bench of New Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, presided by C K Chaturvedi, asked the airlines to pay Rs 15,000 to Noida resident Neelam Sachdev and her husband K B Sachdev.

The forum said that the airlines failed to properly coordinate with Air Canada, the flight to be taken by the complainants from London to Toronto, because of which they faced difficulties.

It noted that the couple had a direct flight from Delhi to Toronto but the airlines, without prior intimation, put them on a flight to London from where they had a connecting flight to Toronto.

"It was the duty of airlines having charged the money for full journey and changing confirmed direct flight to Toronto, for whatever reason, to avoid difficulties to complainants (the couple).

"Holding the airline guilty of deficiency, we direct it to pay Rs 10,000 to complainants for difficulties faced by them and pay Rs 5,000 for litigation expenses," it said.

The couple had told the forum that they had to travel from Delhi to Toronto via Air India on March 31, 2007 and return on July 29, 2007.

The airlines, however, without giving intimation to them, cancelled the flight and made arrangements in alternate flight from Delhi to London, and subsequent connecting flight of Air Canada from London to Toronto, they said.

However, after reaching London, the complainants found out that their ticket to Toronto was not confirmed and on the intervention and efforts, Air India arranged a flight on April 1, 2007 to Toronto, creating difficulties for them.

The airlines, however, blamed the complainants for not disclosing their telephone numbers to help in contacting and as for non-confirmation of ticket from London to Toronto, it pleaded helpless due to non-availability of seat.