HYDERABAD: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-II, Hyderabad, has ordered Ethiopian Airlines to pay a compensation of Rs 50,00,00 to a Hyderabad man along with a cumulative refund of Rs 2,04,128 on four air tickets for neither providing an alternative flight within the same fare nor reimbursing the original amount over flight cancellation in May 2020.
The complainant, Satish Patangay of Secunderabad, had booked four to-and-from tickets from Hyderabad to Mt. Kilmanjaro, Tanzania, by the airlines, amounting to Rs 2,04,128 in May 2020. However, due to Covid-19 pandemic-related issues, the flights were cancelled unprecedentedly. Subsequently, the airlines issued Satish a voucher of the same amount, valid up to July 2021. Despite considering the consumer’s request for a refund, the airlines again renewed the voucher’s validity until June 2022.
Additionally, when the consumer replanned the visit in 2023, when the lockdowns were lifted, the total fares for the same number of tickets — four — escalated to Rs 3,84,880, which is Rs 1,80,752 more than the reimbursement via the vouchers given by Ethiopian Airlines.
The commission referred to the Supreme Court’s judgement, which directed the airlines to completely repay the amount to passengers or the travel agency in case their flights, both domestic and international, had been cancelled during Covid-19.
The aforementioned order applies from March 25, 2020, to May 24, 2020.
Noting that the airlines violated the order, the Commission observed a deficiency of service on the former’s part along with unfair trade practices by not providing the option of an alternative journey.