The district consumer disputes redressal forum here has asked Indian Airlines Limited to refund the fare of a ticket worth Rs. 15,260 and pay a fine of Rs. 5000 to a teacher in a city college, after she won a case against the airlines for deficient service.
M. S. Kichlu, a Reader in the department of sociology in Madura College, here had purchased tickets in Indian Airlines for a to and fro journey to Delhi. She travelled to Delhi on February 15, 2007 and was supposed to travel back to Madurai on February 22, 2007 with a confirmed return ticket she had purchased for the 6 p.m. flight. Because her work did not get over on time, she contacted the airlines to transfer the confirmation of the ticket to the flight that was to leave Delhi at 8.10 p.m.
After initially agreeing to the request the airlines declined to oblige her after she reached the airport, she told the consumer redressal forum.
“I had to buy a new ticket at a cost of Rs 15,265 for the 8.10 p.m. flight. The airlines asked me to take a flight to Madurai on February 24, 2007 if I had to travel with my confirmed ticket”, she said while seeking compensation of Rs 25,000, apart from asking for a refund of the ticket.
The petitioner was also not given a refund of the discount class ticket she had purchased.
The airlines contended that the petitioner had booked the ticket under discount class whereas the 8.10 p.m. flight had only full fare tickets.
Therefore, the petitioner was asked to take the flight on February 24 under discount class, but she preferred to take the flight the same day, the airlines said. Indian airlines does not refund tickets under the discount class, it was further stated.
Dismissing the contention of the airlines, P. Deivaraj, president of the forum and N. Thilagam, member of the forum, asked the marketing manager of Indian Airlines Limited to refund the ticket price to the petitioner.
