Broken Seats and Dirty Toilets: Delhi Consumer Court Orders Air India to Pay Rs 1.5 Lakh

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission–VI, New Delhi has directed Air India to pay ₹1.5 lakh as compensation to a man and his daughter for poor services during an international flight.

The case was filed by Shailendra Bhatnagar, who travelled with his daughter on Air India’s Delhi–New York–Delhi flight in September 2023. They had booked economy class tickets through MakeMyTrip.

According to the complaint, the passengers faced several problems during the long-haul journey. These included broken and uncomfortable seats, non-working in-flight entertainment systems, unhygienic toilets, foul smell inside the aircraft, poor quality food and beverages, and an unresponsive cabin crew despite repeated complaints.

After examining the matter, the Consumer Commission held that passengers are “consumers” under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and airlines are “service providers”. When airlines fail to provide basic facilities required under DGCA rules, it amounts to a deficiency in service.

The Commission observed that the passengers were charged a considerable amount for the journey but were not provided proper facilities. It noted that such lapses caused mental agony and harassment.

As compensation, the Commission ordered Air India to pay ₹50,000 each to the complainant and his daughter, along with ₹50,000 towards litigation costs, totalling ₹1.5 lakh.

However, the Commission refused to order a refund of the ticket amount. It reasoned that since the passengers completed the journey, compensation was a more appropriate remedy than refund.

Air India denied the allegations and stated that the aircraft had undergone routine checks before departure. The airline claimed that the passengers had requested an upgrade to business class, which could not be granted due to non-availability of seats, and suggested that the complaints arose only after this request was declined. It also claimed that the cabin crew had assisted the passengers and offered alternatives during the flight.

The Commission was not convinced by this defence. It noted that the complainant had submitted photographs showing the poor condition of the seats and had also sent a detailed legal notice to the airline. Air India neither replied to the notice nor gave a clear explanation for the specific issues raised.

The Commission observed that if there was no fault in service, the airline should have strongly responded to the allegations. Its silence weakened its case.

The complainant had sought a full refund of ₹3.18 lakh and compensation of ₹10 lakh. While the refund request was rejected, the Commission granted compensation for mental harassment and inconvenience.

The complaint had also been filed against MakeMyTrip, but all claims against the travel platform were dismissed. The Commission held that MakeMyTrip’s role was limited to ticket booking and it had no control over flight operations or onboard services. Since there was no issue with booking or confirmation, no deficiency in service was found on its part.