In a significant ruling, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (DCDRC), Ernakulam, has ordered Qatar Airways to pay ₹10 lakh in compensation to an Italy-based Indian family. The airline was found guilty of deficiency in service and unfair trade practices after denying boarding to the family's two minor children during their return journey from Kochi, India, to Venice, Italy, in 2018.
The Incident: Denied Boarding for Children
Roshan Jose, an Indian immigrant residing in Italy, had traveled with his wife Vinaya and their two children from Venice to Kochi via Doha using Qatar Airways in 2018. The airline had verified all travel documents and allowed the family to complete their onward journey without any objections.
However, during the family's return trip from Kochi to Venice, the situation drastically changed. Qatar Airways refused boarding to the couple's elder child, claiming an independent visa was required. Following further delays in Doha, the airline also denied boarding to their 10-month-old breastfeeding infant, despite having already issued a boarding pass after document verification in Kochi.
Commission Rejects Airline's Defense
Qatar Airways defended its actions by stating that Italian immigration authorities had refused permission for the children to travel. However, the DCDRC firmly rejected this argument. The Commission highlighted that the airline had previously accepted the exact same travel documents for the family's initial journey from Venice to Kochi.
In its strongly worded order, the Commission stated that the airline's conduct in preventing a child from accompanying their parents on a return journey was "wholly arbitrary and has shocked the conscience of this Commission." It further emphasized that if the children's documents were genuinely inadequate, the airline should never have permitted them to undertake the onward journey in the first place.
Severe Hardship for Parents
The Commission acknowledged the profound impact of the airline's actions on the family. The parents were forced to leave their children with relatives in Kerala to avoid losing their jobs in Italy. The DCDRC observed that the "mental agony, emotional trauma and untold hardship suffered by the parents were the direct and inevitable consequence of the wrongful conduct of the opposite party."
Compensation Awarded
Allowing the complaint filed by Roshan Jose and his family, the Commission directed Qatar Airways to pay ₹10 lakh as compensation for the mental agony and hardship endured. Additionally, the airline was ordered to pay ₹25,000 towards litigation costs. The total amount must be paid within 45 days. Failure to comply will result in an annual interest rate of 9% from the date of the complaint's filing until the full realization of the amount.
This ruling serves as a crucial precedent, underscoring the rights of passengers and the responsibilities of airlines when families travel internationally.