Indian Airlines Agree to Pay for Passengers’ Mental Agony

Posted by Shabana on December 7, 2007
Filed under: India, News, Odds + Ends

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Ever been stuck in an airport with yet another plane delay, and seething in silent fury? If you’re in India, you could be eligible for compensation for your mental agony. An Indian consumer court has ordered a private airline to pay its passengers who were left stranded when the flight was canceled $380 each as compensation for “harassment.”

Indian GoAir Plane

The carrier, GoAir, one of dozens of new small domestic sector airlines that have crowded the Indian skies canceled its New Delhi – Mumbai flight back in February this year. No explanation was given to the passengers, and this seems to have miffed Yogesh Kumar, who had booked a seat on the flight, no end. He promptly filed a complaint with the New Delhi State Consumer Disputes Redress Commission, which ruled that only delays that arose out of circumstances beyond the airline’s control like weather conditions could be exempted from compensation.

The air travel sector in India has boomed in recent years, with every corporate house worth its stock floating a new airline each day. Quality control however hasn’t been a priority, and flight cancellations and interminable delays have become the norm. Only last week, at least 10 flights to London, New York and Toronto by national carrier Air India were delayed because of technical difficulties.

The situation has caused companies like Boeing to eye the Indian market with renewed interest. Boeing says India will emerge as one of the largest markets for airplanes over the next couple of decades with a requirement for more than 900 passenger jets over the next 20 years.

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