A consumer commission in Mumbai has ordered SpiceJet Limited to refund a senior citizen couple the amount they paid for a flight that was canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic. The commission found the airline guilty of “deficiency in service” for failing to refund the ticket cost despite clear guidelines from the Supreme Court and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The district consumer disputes redressal commission (Mumbai suburban) passed the ruling last month, with details emerging recently. The case involved a couple from Chembur who had booked two tickets on June 24, 2020, for a flight from Mumbai to Pondicherry via Bangalore, scheduled for July 1. They paid Rs 13,696 for both tickets through a credit card.
However, they soon received an email from SpiceJet notifying them of the flight’s cancellation. SpiceJet informed the couple that the tickets would be held in a credit shell for future travel until March 31, 2021. The couple, however, requested a full refund as they had no plans for future travel.
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The couple sent multiple emails to SpiceJet between September 2021 and February 2022, seeking a refund. SpiceJet responded positively, asking them to wait for formalities to be completed. Eventually, the airline asked for the couple’s bank details to process the refund, which they provided immediately. However, the refund never materialized, leading the couple to escalate the issue with the airline’s nodal officer, who provided a similarly unsatisfactory response.
Despite sending a legal notice through their lawyers, the couple received no reply, prompting them to take their case to the consumer commission. They sought the booking amount of Rs 13,696, along with 9% interest per annum, Rs 1,50,000 for mental agony, and Rs 50,000 for litigation costs.
SpiceJet contended that it had attempted to transfer the refund but the transaction failed due to incorrect account details. However, the commission noted that the complainants’ bank statements showed their account was active at the time, and SpiceJet failed to provide any evidence of the failed transaction attempts.
The commission concluded that the airline was “reluctant to refund” the money, staging “vague and unreasonable excuses”. It ordered SpiceJet to refund the full ticket amount of Rs 13,696, with 9% interest from the date of cancellation, and an additional Rs 10,000 for mental agony and Rs 5,000 for litigation costs.