Flight disruption leaves father-son stranded, forces costly US travel; consumer court awards Rs 1.6 lakh

NEW DELHI: A district consumer commission in Chandigarh has ordered IndiGo Airlines and Turkish Airlines to jointly pay over Rs 1.6 lakh to a man after finding that he and his son were left stranded in Delhi because of a disruption in their codeshare flight, forcing them to buy expensive last-minute tickets to the US and miss the son’s university orientation schedule.The commission held that the airlines were deficient in service as the sudden disruption, without prior intimation, caused the passengers financial loss and mental agony despite their having confirmed tickets.How did the flight dispute begin?The complainant, Mohit Bansal, and his son had booked tickets from New Delhi to Detroit via Istanbul on August 15, 2025, through Turkish Airlines, with the Delhi-Istanbul leg operated by IndiGo under a codeshare arrangement.According to the commission’s order, when they reached Delhi airport, IndiGo staff issued boarding passes only up to Istanbul and informed them that their onward journey had been disrupted. Bansal claimed they had received no prior intimation even though airlines are expected to inform passengers in advance about such disruptions.The father said his son had to report for a mandatory university orientation programme in the United States on August 18, making it impossible for them to wait for another flight. Although IndiGo offered hotel accommodation, he stayed with relatives in Gurugram while waiting for an alternative itinerary.However, Turkish Airlines later informed him that no seats were available to Detroit until August 20. Left with no other option, the father purchased emergency Lufthansa tickets for Rs 2,37,492. He also suffered losses after cancelling hotel bookings in the US, as a part of the amount paid was non-refundable.Bansal later approached the Chandigarh District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, seeking reimbursement of his additional expenses along with compensation for the inconvenience caused.IndiGo argued that the flight had been downgraded due to operational reasons beyond its control, resulting in seat constraints. It said it had offered the passengers hotel accommodation, an alternative flight and compensation of Rs 20,000 per passenger, but they declined the offer. It also contended that Turkish Airlines, being the marketing carrier in the codeshare arrangement, was responsible for refund-related issues.Turkish Airlines, on the other hand, said it had no operational control over the Delhi-Istanbul sector, which was operated by IndiGo. It added that it had already refunded the original ticket amount to the complainant and his son.Why did the consumer court rule against the airlines?The bench comprising President Pawanjit Singh and member B M Sharma found that the airlines’ arguments did not change the fact that the complainant had to spend substantially more on alternative tickets and had also suffered losses because part of his hotel booking remained non-refundable.“It is true that OP No.2 refunded the ticket amount… and OP No.1 offered compensation… However, the fact remains that the sudden cancellation of the flight, without prior intimation, caused the complainant and his son considerable mental agony and forced them to incur excessive charges for alternative ticket,” the commission observed.It further held that the passengers had also suffered financial loss because they could not recover the full amount paid towards their hotel booking.“Hence, there is clear deficiency in service on the part of the OPs. They are liable to pay the differential cost of the alternative tickets, the unreimbursed hotel charges, and suitable compensation,” the commission added.The commission directed IndiGo and Turkish Airlines to jointly refund Rs 1,10,258, representing the additional airfare and unrecovered hotel expenses, along with 9 per cent annual interest from August 15, 2025.It also awarded Rs 50,000 towards mental agony, harassment and litigation costs. In all, the airlines have been directed to pay Rs 1,60,258, apart from interest, within 45 days, failing which the amount will carry 12 per cent penal interest until it is paid.