Why Was Vistara Asked To Pay ₹19,916 To Passenger Scheduled To Board A Delhi Flight?

Vistara, an Indian airline that has now merged with Air India, found itself in trouble after the Kolkata District Consumer Commission ordered it to pay ₹19,916 to a woman who was travelling from Srinagar to Delhi. The order came after the woman complained that the airline refused to let her board her scheduled flight. Here’s what actually happened.

Woman Denied Boarding On Delhi-Bound Vistara Flight 

Before getting into details, let us tell you that Vistara no longer operates as a separate airline after its merger with Air India. This incident took place before the merger happened. A woman suffered extreme distress after she was refused boarding on her scheduled Srinagar-Delhi flight with Vistara Airlines.

According to The Indian Express, the woman had booked her journey to Delhi with Vistara on October 10, 2022. She arrived at Srinagar Airport well before time, where she found herself in a queue for check-in behind several passengers dealing with extra luggage charges.

The woman complained that after some time, the check-in executive moved away from the counter, leaving her waiting. On the advice of other airport staff, she joined another check-in line. But the executive remained outside the counter. When the woman approached him and requested a check-in pass, he informed her that check-in had closed. The executive also refused to help her further.

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Passenger Forced To Extend Her Stay In Srinagar

According to The Indian Express, the woman alleged mismanagement and tried to book another flight to Delhi. However, when she was unable to do so, she was forced to extend her stay in Srinagar for four days, which cost her more money. The complainant also sent emails seeking clarification and a refund from Vistara Airlines, but received no fruitful response.

Taking matters into her own hands, she approached the Kolkata District Consumer Commission. The panel ordered Vistara Airlines to refund the passenger’s ticket cost of ₹4,916 along with ₹10,000 as compensation and ₹5,000 towards litigation costs. According to the commission, the incident was a clear case of unfair trade practice as well as a deficiency in service on the part of the airline.

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What do you think of this? Do you think the compensation was justified?

Cover Image Courtesy: Canva Pro/ Therese Banay and Vistara, Wikipedia/ Venkat Mangudi (Representative Image)