A consumer commission in Mumbai has directed SpiceJet to pay Rs 25,000 as compensation to a senior citizen passenger for mental agony caused due to the issuance of an incorrect ticket while rerouting his journey in 2020. The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Mumbai (Suburban), also ordered the airline to pay Rs 5,000 towards litigation costs.
The complainant had originally booked a SpiceJet flight from Mumbai to Darbhanga for December 5, 2020, with a return on December 7. While he successfully reached Darbhanga, the return flight was cancelled due to bad weather — a decision the commission acknowledged was taken by Air Traffic Control in the interest of passenger safety.
Due to the urgency of returning to Mumbai for a PhD online examination scheduled on December 8, the complainant requested an alternate route. SpiceJet issued a replacement ticket routing him via Patna and Kolkata. However, at Patna airport, he was informed that the connecting flight from Kolkata to Mumbai would depart before his scheduled arrival in Kolkata, making the itinerary invalid.
Passenger suffered mental and financial hardship
As a result of the scheduling error, the complainant had to book another flight the next morning at his own expense and ended up missing his examination. He claimed to have suffered mental distress and financial loss due to the airline's negligence.
The passenger then approached the consumer forum, seeking a refund of Rs 14,577 along with Rs 2 lakh compensation for mental agony and Rs 25,000 towards litigation costs.
Commission holds both parties partially responsible
While the commission noted that the flight cancellation was beyond the airline’s control and that it had initially taken steps to assist the passenger, it also observed that the alternate ticket issued was incorrect. The panel held SpiceJet guilty of deficient service and negligent behaviour. It further noted that the complainant himself acted negligently by not verifying the ticket at the time of issuance, which could have helped him avoid the resulting inconvenience.
Airline had refunded fare but still liable
SpiceJet, in its defence, said the full fare had been refunded via the booking agency and that an alternate flight was provided at no extra charge. The commission acknowledged this but said the airline could not be absolved of responsibility for issuing an invalid ticket, which led to avoidable mental harassment. “The opposite party had taken suo motu efforts to cover the financial damage to the complainant. However, they cannot escape from the negligent act of issuing a wrong ticket,” the commission said.
