The South Mumbai District Consumer Forum has directed the South African Airways to compensate a city resident for making him travel economy class despite the man having a business class ticket.
The South Mumbai District Consumer Forum has directed the South African Airways to compensate a city resident for making him travel economy class despite the man having a business class ticket.
A division bench of President S M Ratnakar and Member S G Chabukswar held the airline guilty of poor service and resorting to unfair trade practices, and directed it to pay Satish Wagh Rs10,000 for causing him agony. Apart from the compensation, the airlines will have to pay Rs3,000 to Wagh towards cost of litigation within a month.
In his complaint, Wagh, who is the chairman of basic chemicals, pharmaceuticals and cosmetic export promotion council, stated that he had booked tickets through M/s Travel Corporation (I) Pvt. Ltd for his scheduled travel on July 29, 2012. Accordingly, he was given a boarding pass and a business class ticket.
Advocate Yatin Shah, who represented Wagh, said that before boarding the flight, a staffer from the South African Airways took away his client's ticket on the pretext that he would upgrade it further. However, Wagh was made to travel economy class, prompting him to take up the matter with the airline and the agent.
Wagh approached the consumer court after the carrier as well as Travel Corporation didn't respond to his email.
While the airline didn't reply to the notice issued by the forum, the travel firm contended that its role was limited to booking tickets, and that it could not be held responsible for the downgrading of Wagh's ticket. The forum accepted this argument.
Holding the airline guilty, the consumer court asked it to shell out Rs13,000. It also rejected Wagh's claim seeking directions to Travel Corporation to not recover the ticket cost of Rs 1,10,423.
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