A Bengaluru consumer commission has directed a travel agent to pay Rs 83,800 to a customer after he and three fellow travellers missed their international flight to Baku, Azerbaijan, because they were allegedly not informed that the flight's departure time had been changed.
The commission held the travel agent responsible for deficiency in service and unfair trade practices after finding them guilty of not communicating the revised flight schedule to the travellers.
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The complainant had reportedly booked a holiday package for four people travelling to Baku from February 12 to 19, 2025, at a total cost of Rs 3.42 lakh, according to The Indian Express.
The itinerary provided by the travel agent listed the flight's departure time at 2 pm on February 12, 2025, the complainant stated in his case. However, the flight's departure was advanced to 10:30 am, and the group was allegedly not informed. They reached the airport according to the initial flight schedule and were informed by the airline staff that the flight had already departed.
Following the incident, the travellers had to arrange an alternative flight departing at 3 am on February 13, 2025, a day after their original departure date, said the report.
According to the report, the complainant alleged that the travel agent sought an additional Rs 61,800 for the replacement tickets, while the group incurred a loss of another Rs 12,000 in accommodation expenses in Bengaluru.
The complainant approached the consumer commission after the dispute over the additional expenses, according to the report.
The commission, headed by President Vijaykumar M Pawale and comprising members K Anitha Shiva Kumar and Chandrashekar S Noola, held the travel agent responsible for deficiency in service and unfair trade practices.
The commission stated that the agent should have informed either the complainant or the other parties involved in the proceedings about the revised departure time, but failed to do so despite receiving the information about the same from the airline.
The commission also noted that the travel agent did not contest the complaint and remained ex-parte which means that it did not appear to defend itself in the proceedings.
The commission's order, as cited by IE, stated, "We are of the considered view that the complainant has proved that there is deficiency of service and unfair trade practice on the part of OP-1 (travel agent)."
The commission directed the travel agent to pay Rs 61,800 towards replacement flight tickets, Rs 12,000 for accommodation expenses and Rs 10,000 towards litigation costs, bringing the total compensation to Rs 83,800.
The case highlights the importance of communication when flight schedules change. For travellers, the practical lessons from this incident include checking flight timings and booking notifications shortly before departure, keeping copies of the original itinerary, airline schedule change messages and communications with the travel agent, preserving receipts for replacement tickets, accommodation and other expenses caused by a disruption. If a travel service provider fails to address a grievance, consumers can seek assistance from the National Consumer Helpline at 1915.
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