British Airways to refund ₹1.7L to Mohali passenger

The commission directed the airline to refund the airfare of ₹1,37,538 with 6% annual interest from August 20, 2023, until realisation, reimburse ₹10,500 spent on taxi fare and pay ₹25,000 as consolidated compensation for mental agony, harassment and litigation expenses

A Mohali consumer commission has directed British Airways to refund more than ₹1.7 lakh to a city resident who was wrongly denied boarding at Delhi airport after airline staff mistakenly treated London as his final destination and demanded a UK visa, despite his confirmed onward journey to the United States.

The commission relied on the complainant’s passport, valid US visa, e-ticket, special assistance confirmation, payment records, taxi receipt, ticket carrying the endorsement “Offloaded”, call records and email correspondence. (HT File)

The commission partly allowed the complaint filed by Shubhkarman Singh Bangar and held British Airways guilty of deficiency in service. The commission directed the airline to refund the airfare of ₹1,37,538 with 6% annual interest from August 20, 2023, until realisation, reimburse ₹10,500 spent on taxi fare and pay ₹25,000 as consolidated compensation for mental agony, harassment and litigation expenses. The complaint against travel booking agency Air Tickets India was dismissed.

According to the complaint, Bangar’s parents were visiting his younger brother in Winnipeg, Canada, while important original documents required to complete a business deal remained at their Mohali residence. As Bangar held a valid US visitor visa but did not have a Canadian visa, the family decided he would travel to Minneapolis, where his father would collect the documents.

The air tickets, costing ₹1,37,538, were booked through Air Tickets India. The complainant also informed British Airways that he was travelling alone for the first time and sought special assistance, which the airline confirmed.

However, when Bangar reached Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on August 20, 2023, airline staff allegedly treated London as his final destination and refused to allow him to board after asking for a UK visa. According to the complaint, Bangar produced his itinerary showing travel from New Delhi to London, Chicago and Minneapolis, while his father and brother repeatedly contacted the airline’s customer care to explain the itinerary. Despite this, the airline offloaded him from the flight.

The commission relied on the complainant’s passport, valid US visa, e-ticket, special assistance confirmation, payment records, taxi receipt, ticket carrying the endorsement “Offloaded”, call records and email correspondence. It held that British Airways failed to verify the complete itinerary before denying boarding, causing financial loss and inconvenience to the passenger.