Airlines to compensate for delays

Airlines operating from Delhi will have to pay the compensation to travellers if the delay is beyond 2 hours.

In a relief to passengers, who are left stranded at airports owing to flight cancellation and delays due to technical snags, State Consumer Commission has held that airlines operating from Delhi will have to pay a compensation of Rs 10,000 each to domestic travellers if the delay exceeded two hours.

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"Every airline operating from Delhi shall pay a minimum compensation of Rs 10,000 to every domestic passenger in case there is delay in departure and arrival of two hours or more than the schedule time...," Justice J D Kapoor, President of the Commission, said in a common order.

The Commission also ordered that all the affected passengers of international flights would be paid Rs 20,000 each as compensation.

Late running, cancellation of flights, offloading of consumers with confirmed status of ticket and traffic congestion in the air and on the ground have become the order of the day, said Justice Kapoor adding "they cause enormous mental agony, harassment and physical discomfort which are not assessable in terms of money".

The Commission, however, observed that the delays caused due to inclement weather, tyre bursts, which are beyond control of the service providers, did not entitle passengers to get compensation.

The order came on an appeal filed by Alliance Air Limited (AAL) against the verdict of a District Consumer Forum which had asked it to pay Rs 6,000 as compensation to one Daljit Singh Nirman who could not attend the meeting at Jammu as his flight got delayed by six hours at Delhi airport.