IndiGo slapped with fine of Rs 1.5 lakh for providing 'unhygienic, dirty' seat to passenger
PTC News Desk: A Delhi consumer forum has slapped IndiGo a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh and held the airline s guilty of being deficient of service for providing unhygienic and stained seat to a woman passenger.
The New Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, led by president Poonam Chaudhry and members Bariq Ahmed and Shekhar Chandra, heard a complaint from Pinki, who claimed she was given an “unhygienic, dirty, and stained” seat while travelling from Baku to New Delhi on January 2.
She alleged that her grievance was handled in a “dismissive and insensitive” manner.
In response, the airline stated that it addressed her concern by promptly assigning her a different seat, which she accepted and used to complete her journey to New Delhi.
Noting the evidence before it, the forum, in an order dated July 9, made available recently, said, "We hold that the opposite party (Indigo) was guilty of deficiency in service." "As regards the discomfort and pain, mental agony suffered by her, we are of the view that she must be compensated. We accordingly direct the opposite party to pay Rs 1.5 lakh as compensation for mental agony, physical pain and harassment to her," the forum added.
In its order, the forum said that the airlines had failed to produce the Situation Data Display (SDD) report, which formed a part of its internal operational records as per standard aviation protocols.
It said, "There is no reference to this report in the written statement or in the evidence filed by the opposite party. The SDD is a crucial document used for flight operation monitoring and to record passenger-related incidents. The absence of this document significantly weakens the opposite party's defence."
- PTC NEWS
