“Not allowing a passenger to board and travel in a flight even after issuing a boarding pass amounts to unfair trade practice,” a city consumer forum here has ruled. It also ordered Air India to pay a compensation of Rs. 50,000 to a passenger.
Chinnadurai, a businessman from Chennai, had booked a ticket with Air India for his return journey from Singapore to Chennai on October 31, 2009 and he was issued with a confirmed ticket. He said he reached Singapore Airport well in time on the same day. Though he was issued a boarding pass, he was not allowed to travel on the flight.
In his complaint before the consumer forum, he said the boarding pass was snatched from him and he was advised to come the next day. He claimed that as he could not travel and he had to stay back in Singapore, his business was affected. Hence, he filed the complaint seeking compensation.
The airlines said the complainant being a frequent flyer, should be aware that the doors of the aircraft are closed 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time. The complainant feeling confident that he had got the boarding pass came late, by which time the doors of the flight were closed. So, the duty officer offered to send him by next available flight on the same day.
Rejecting the contention that the complainant failed to board the flight on time, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Chennai (South) comprising its president V. Gopal and member L. Deenadayalan said the airline failed to prove it by adducing evidence.
“The opposite party (the airline), having issued a boarding pass to the complainant, ought to have made necessary announcements to procure the complainant and call upon him immediately to board the flight.
The opposite party’s act in not allowing him to board and travel the flight even after issuing a boarding pass amounts to unfair trade practice and deficiency in service” said the forum.
Keywords: Air India compensation, consumer forum
The boarding pass is issued on the condition that the passenger boards the
flight when the gate is opened. Calling out passenger names is a
practice that seems to have been given up all over the world. If the
facts are correct I pity the airline.
I find the claim by the air lines may be true. I myself found many time while flying see people (mostly frequent fliers) delay boarding.
My suggestion to airline is to give a GPS Tag Device while giving boarding pass so that the person can be tracked and sent to the gate.
Or
Lock all passengers of a flight in a single lounge and then issue boarding pass. Hope this may save man power to track passengers.
My wife and my 9 month old son have travelled your airlines this morning. At the reception area even before the check in , my wife and son were made to wait for 60 minutes before they get meet an assist person.
First : It was pathetic of the guy who sits in the reservation counter to tell me that I WILL HAVE TO WAIT for more than 60 minutes to avail meet and assist.
Second: He shouts at me in front of my wife, crowd, my son and get my morale down. He insisted that i need to wait, which got tears in my wife's eyes and my son started crying when he saw his mother in tears. I have never in my life experienced such a response from an airline. I have always travelled other airlines with no trouble.
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