Mumbai: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Mumbai (Suburban) has directed budget airline SpiceJet to pay Rs 25,000 to a senior citizen for issuing incorrect flight tickets, causing him mental stress and financial loss. 

The incident took place in December 2020, when the senior citizen from Ghatkopar had booked a round-trip ticket from Mumbai to Darbhanga with SpiceJet.

While his onward journey went as planned, the return flight was cancelled due to bad weather.

Acknowledging the urgency of the passenger's situation -- he had to attend a PhD online exam in Mumbai on December 8 -- the airline arranged an alternate route via Patna and Kolkata.

However, the replacement booking turned out to be flawed. The connecting flight from Kolkata to Mumbai was scheduled to depart before the passenger would even arrive in Kolkata from Patna.

This mistake left him stranded in Patna, forcing him to purchase a new ticket for the next day using his own money. As a result, he also missed his important online examination.

The senior citizen later approached the consumer forum, accusing the airline of negligence and deficiency in service.

He demanded a refund of Rs 14,577 along with Rs 2 lakh for mental agony and Rs 25,000 for legal expenses.

SpiceJet responded by stating that the flight was cancelled due to bad weather, which was beyond their control, and that they had refunded the ticket fare through the booking agent.

They also said they had issued the alternate flight ticket free of cost.

While the consumer commission accepted that the flight cancellation was not the airline’s fault, it pointed out that the issuance of an incorrect ticket was a clear act of negligence.

Although the airline later reimbursed the complainant, the commission said this did not excuse the initial error.

The commission also remarked that the passenger could have avoided further trouble by carefully checking the ticket at the time of issuance.

Despite this, it concluded that the airline was at fault for causing unnecessary stress and inconvenience.

In its final order passed on June 17, the commission directed SpiceJet to pay Rs 25,000 as compensation for mental agony and Rs 5,000 towards litigation expenses. (IANS)