The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : Directive to British Airways

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Saturday, Jan 05, 2008
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Directive to British Airways

Correspondent

CUTTACK: The Orissa Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed the British Airways to pay an amount of Rs 72,896 to one Rabindra Nath Pati of Bhubaneswar as the later was not allowed to board a flight of the airlines at Philadelphia, USA to return to New Delhi in June 2004 despite possessing a valid air ticket. Pati, however, returned to the country in July same year in another airline—Alitalia purchasing a fresh ticket.

The amount to be paid to Pati by the British Airways is the sum of the cost of the ticket that was dishonoured and the cost of Alitalia ticket. The British Airways has been asked to pay the amount to the complainant by the end of February this year or else the amount would carry an interest of nine percent per annum from June 2004, the Commission said in its order.

According to the case, Pati was invited by Penn State University, Pennsylvania, USA to attend an indigenous knowledge conference in May 2004. For this purpose, he obtained a visa from US Consulate in Kolkata that was valid for six months.

But since Pati was to return to New Delhi via London, he was supposed to obtain a transit visa, as he had to fly over the United Kingdom.

Since Pati had no transit visa, he was denied boarding the British Airways. But when Pati requested for refund of cost of the ticket so as enable him avail another flight back to New Delhi, which did not fly over UK, he was denied. Finding helpless in a foreign soil Pati took shelter in a friend’s house and returned to the country after about three weeks.

Claiming compensation, Pati had moved the Khurda district consumer court, which in turn had directed the British Airways to pay Rs 50,000 for the mental agony and another Rs 50,000 for other expenses to Pati.

However, this order of the district forum was challenged both by Pati and British Airways.

While Pati said the amount awarded to him was inadequate, the British Airways contested the order of the district forum being aggrieved.

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