Consumer board penalises GoAir Rs15K per passenger

If you've suffered at the hands of budget airlines, this would come as good news to you. The Delhi State Consumer Court has set a precedent, asking GoAir to pay 15,000 rupees to passengers for a cancelled flight. 

The aviation sector has more than doubled in the last four years. With a dozen airlines fighting for flyers, there's more choice and cheaper tickets. However, infrastructure and skilled manpower have not kept up, leading to delays and overall consumer dissatisfaction.

In what could set a precedent, the Delhi state consumer court has asked GoAir to pay Rs 15,000 to each passenger booked on its flight which was cancelled. The commission said there wasn't sufficient evidence of a snag and passengers were not informed of the cancellation.

Acting on a consumer complaint the court held and CNBC-TV18 quotes, " Oftly-taken excuse of technical snag for inordinately long delay or cancellation of flight is not only a lame excuse but projects poor management."

The airline has been ordered to pay up as compensation for "The mental agony, harassment, emotional suffering and physical discomfort caused by the cancellation."

The Commission has ordered GoAir to send the cheques to all the passengers within a month, and give details of the payments.