A consumer commission directed SpiceJet to pay ₹1 lakh compensation, and a refund of the airfare that the customer paid to book seats of another carrier when the former left before time without informing passengers.
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission - III, Hyderabad, was dealing with a complaint filed by Ashish Samat, and the opposite parties (OP) were SpiceJet Ltd. representatives from Gurugram and Hyderabad offices, and Ease My Trip Planners Ltd.
The complainant said that he booked tickets for 10 passengers, through Ease My Trip Planners Ltd. website, for a SpiceJet flight from Goa to Hyderabad, scheduled to depart at 6.45 p.m. on April 3, 2022. However, when he tried to web check-in, he came to know that the flight had already left, and that SpiceJet had rescheduled the flight to Hyderabad to 8.05 a.m., without informing passengers.
Mr. Samat then, contacted the customer care but to no avail. Left with no choice, he booked tickets of another flight of another airline and had to pay ₹78,186.
However, SpiceJet denied the allegations. Citing the Carriage by Air Act 1972, it stated that they have the right to cancel or delay flights, and added that the flight time was changed due to operational reasons and passengers were informed of this on their email addresses and mobile phones. The passengers were declared “no show”, and a refund through Easy My Trip was made.
Taking the evidence and arguments placed on record into account, the commission stated that emails from the airline to the complainant on April 6 last year show the airline “admitting deficiency in service” and willingness to refund along with an e-voucher worth ₹ 1,000 per passenger.
The commission however, observed that while the airline stated that passengers were informed of the change in flight timing, no evidence was produced.
Citing an order during a case of Jet Airways (India) Ltd. vs Akash Lalwani heard at the National Consumer Disputes’ Redressal Commission, the district commission directed SpiceJet to refund the airfare of ₹78,186 that the complainant paid to book another flight, compensation of ₹ 10,000 per passenger and ₹5,000 as cost.
The complaint against Ease My Trip was dismissed.
