Man wins back ₹44,000 cancellation fee from Air India charged during lockdown
The Second Additional District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission's recent order came after a two-year fight by a passenger who had filed his complaint in March 2020.
The Second Additional District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Bengaluru has directed Air India to refund ₹44,029 to a passenger whose flight from Bengaluru to London was cancelled due to COVID-19 lockdown.
While refunding the ₹1,35,143 ticket price to the passenger Milin Jagdishbhai Parekh, the airlines had deducted ₹44,029 as 'cancellation fee'. (HT FILE)
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While refunding the ₹1,35,143 ticket price to the passenger Milin Jagdishbhai Parekh, the airlines had deducted ₹44,029 as 'cancellation fee'.
The 'incidental charge' of ₹5,000 which got deducted was also ordered to be paid back within 45 days.
The Commission's recent order came after a two-year fight by Parekh who had filed his complaint in March 2020.
Parekh had booked a flight to London in January 2020 and he was to fly from Bengaluru in April that year. However in March that year, the COVID-19 lockdown was imposed which banned all international flights.
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The Air India flight he had booked on online booking portal MakeMyTrip was also cancelled. The booking website did not come to the aid of Parekh whose efforts to approach the airlines also did not yield results. He therefore lodged a complaint with the Commission.
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The Air India flight he had booked on online booking portal MakeMyTrip was also cancelled. The booking website did not come to the aid of Parekh whose efforts to approach the airlines also did not yield results. He therefore lodged a complaint with the Commission.
The airlines did not bother to represent the case and an ex-parte order was passed by the Commission.
The Commission noted that the airlines had declared Parekh as a 'no-show' meaning he did not turn up for the flight and offered him an alternate ticket on another flight before September 30, 2020.
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The Commission noted that Air India could not declare the passenger as a 'no-show' and deduct cancellation charges as the flight ban due to COVID was well-known.
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.
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