: Offloading a passenger due to overbooking has cost Air India Rs. 50,000 with a consumer forum holding that the airlines did it for commercial gains.
“Off loading is done by airlines for commercial gain. Airlines are not concerned with the problems faced by passengers whose schedule goes haywire in spite of having confirmed tickets in hand,” said the New Delhi Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum.
The complainant, a resident of Noida, was awarded the compensation to be paid by Air India for offloading citing overbooking, besides litigation costs of Rs. 15,000.
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The complainant had booked a seat on an Air India flight from Mumbai to Frankfurt on January 8, 2007. He was offloaded by the airlines, which offered him an alternate flight to Frankfurt via London. This was not acceptable as the complainant did not have a London visa. He was refunded the ticket amount after deduction of taxes. The complainant said the staff was very rude in handling the matter, which forced him to move the forum.
The airline, meanwhile, admitted that the complainant was offloaded as a standard practice in cases of overbooking and was offered an alternate flight via London, which required a transit visa.
In another case, Air India was asked to pay Rs. 5,000 for serving tea and biscuits to a passenger as dinner.
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The complainant had booked a seat on an Air India flight from Mumbai to Frankfurt on January 8, 2007