The Ernakulam Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed Qatar Airways to pay ₹7 lakh as compensation to a passenger who was denied permission to board an international flight due to overbooking.
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The Commission led by its president D.B. Binu observed that denying boarding permission to passengers who hold valid boarding passes amounted to unfair trade practice and deficiency in service on the part of the airlines.
The complaint was filed by Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas during his practice as a High Court lawyer. According to the complainant, he along with a group of friends had planned a trip to Scotland on April 15, 2018 from the Cochin International Airport and booked tickets with Qatar Airways well in advance. When they reached Doha to board a connecting flight to Edinburgh, the complainant was denied permission to board the plane due to overbooking despite producing the boarding pass. The complainant returned to Kochi on the next day and the action of the airline had caused him inconvenience and hardship .
The Commission also directed the airlines to pay the complainant ₹50,000 towards litigation cost.