Doctor seeks compensation after flight leaves without him

Like most ‘King Club’ fliers, Dr Anil Patil was looking forward to a special treatment when he collected the boarding pass for his Kingfisher flight to Solapur from Mumbai on February 6.

Like most ‘King Club’ fliers, Dr Anil Patil was looking forward to a special treatment when he collected the boarding pass for his Kingfisher flight to Solapur from Mumbai on February 6.

HT Image

But enrolling for the “rewarding frequent flier programme” did not offer him any help.

The 48-year-old general physician alleged that the flight left without him.

‘King Club’ members get the privilege to wait at the airline’s luxury lounge in domestic terminal 1A.

“The airline staff asked me to wait at the lounge because the flight was delayed by an hour,” said Patil who runs 22 clinics across the state.

Patil was the only one in the lounge. “They assured me that I would be informed when boarding begins but they didn’t. When I reached the boarding gate, the flight had taken off,” he added.

A Kingfisher spokesperson denied the claim.

“The guest did not report to the boarding gate in time. The boarding pass clearly stipulates that the ‘Gate closes 15 minutes before departure’,” said the spokesperson.

The airline also refuted Patil’s claim that the staff did not inform him about the boarding announcement.

“Our staff in the lounge informed the guest that the aircraft which was to operate the outgoing flight had landed and boarding was expected to be announced shortly. The guest left the lounge well in time but did not make it to the boarding gate on time,” added the spokesperson.

On Monday, Patil met his advocate to take legal action against the airline.

“The incident has hampered my reputation and business. Several patients were waiting for me at Solapur,” added Patil.

He is seeking a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for monetary losses.

The airline added that it offered to rebook Patil’s ticket but he declined the offer.