A district consumer disputes redressal commission in Chandigarh recently directed Air India to pay ₹50,000 as compensation to two senior citizens who were forced to sit on broken seats on an Air India flight from New York to Delhi. [Rajesh Chopra and Anr. v Air India Ltd].A coram of President Pawanjit Singh and member Suresh Kumar Sardana observed that based on the evidence, the seats were defective and caused physical discomfort to the complainants."The complainants had purchased two business class air tickets for Rs.8,24,964/- from New York to Delhi and the seats which were allotted to the complainants were defective since the same did not slide or moved forward as a result of which the complainant No.1 has suffered with physical pain and discomfort due to the swelling in his legs and feet throughout the long air journey by the complainants," the Commission recorded in its order dated February 2.The complainants had booked business class tickets for close to ₹8 lakhs considering that they could travel comfortably without any hassle. One of the complainants was handicapped and had gone to the United States to undergo physiotherapy sessions.Since the seats in the aircraft were broken, they had to use stools to support their feet for throughout the 14 hour journey. The airline failed to rectify the situation despite complaints, leading to legal action.The complainants provided evidence including ticket receipts, medical records, photographs of the defective seats, and correspondence with the airline, to establish their case.Based on this evidence, the Commission found the airline's service deficient and ordered compensation of ₹50,000 for mental agony and harassment, along with ₹10,000 as litigation costs.
TAGS: Air India compensation senior citizens broken seats Chandigarh Consumer Commission
