DOHA- Qatar Airways (QR) and EaseMyTrip have been ordered by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-III, Hyderabad, to pay a Hyderabad family ₹3,06,168, along with additional interest on the ticket refund.
The dispute followed a request to cancel international tickets for travel from Hyderabad (HYD) to Atlanta (ATL) after a passenger was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour. The commission passed the order on September 29, 2026, and directed both companies to comply within 45 days of receiving it.
Hyderabad Holds Airline and Agents Responsible for Delay
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-III, Hyderabad, partly allowed the consumer complaint in CC No. 195 of 2025, finding Qatar Airways and EaseMyTrip responsible for failing to resolve the family’s refund request despite repeated follow-ups.
The commission directed both companies to jointly and severally refund ₹1,86,168 with 12% annual interest.
It also awarded ₹1 lakh in compensation for mental agony and inconvenience and ₹20,000 towards litigation costs.
The total award amounts to ₹3,06,168, excluding interest on the ticket refund. The order followed a dispute over the handling of a medical waiver request that the family submitted after the passenger became unable to travel.
Family Booked Tickets Before Medical Emergency
Raghuram Yamarthi and his wife, Shaal Rekha Yamarthi, booked international flight tickets through EaseMyTrip on August 2, 2024. Their itinerary included a journey from Hyderabad to Atlanta on December 2, 2024, and a return trip scheduled for January 15, 2025.
The couple paid ₹1,86,168 for the tickets. However, a serious medical emergency prevented Raghuram from undertaking the planned journey.
According to the complaint, Raghuram suffered a seizure on November 1, 2024. Medical examinations revealed a brain lesion, and he underwent surgery at KIMS Hospitals on November 12. Doctors subsequently diagnosed him with a malignant glioma, a cancerous brain tumour.
His doctors advised him to undergo six weeks of radiation treatment beginning December 9, 2024. The treatment schedule made the planned international journey impossible, the family argued.
The family therefore sought cancellation of the tickets and a full refund, citing the medical emergency and the need for continued treatment.
Medical Waiver Request Faced Delays
The family contacted Qatar Airways by telephone on November 11, 2024, and requested cancellation and a full refund. They explained that Raghuram could not travel because of his medical condition.
The airline advised the family to submit a medical waiver request through EaseMyTrip because the tickets had been booked through the travel agency.
Raghuram emailed EaseMyTrip on November 15 and submitted the requested medical documents on November 17. However, the complainants alleged that the airline and travel agency repeatedly referred them to each other instead of resolving the request.
The family maintained that these repeated referrals delayed the refund process despite the medical evidence supporting the cancellation.
Qatar Airways rejected the medical waiver request on the basis that it considered the request to have been raised on November 30, 2024. The complainants disputed that position, arguing that their earlier telephone call and email communications established that they had sought assistance sooner.
The commission considered the medical records and correspondence while assessing whether the companies had handled the request appropriately.
Qatar Airways and EaseMyTrip Disputed Refund
During the proceedings, EaseMyTrip maintained that it acted only as a booking facilitator. It argued that it could process the refund after Qatar Airways approved the medical waiver.
Qatar Airways, in turn, argued that the family had purchased the tickets through a third-party travel agent and that EaseMyTrip bore primary responsibility for processing the refund.
The commission reviewed the medical records, email correspondence, legal notices and responses submitted by both companies. It found that the passenger had provided medical evidence explaining why he could not undertake the scheduled journey.
The commission also examined Qatar Airways’ published policy on medical waiver requests. It observed that the airline could not reject the request without establishing why the passenger failed to qualify, particularly in view of the medical documents submitted by the family.
The commission concluded that both companies had failed to resolve the grievance despite repeated follow-ups. It held them responsible for deficiency in service and partly allowed the complaint.
Commission Orders Refund With 12% Annual Interest
The commission directed Qatar Airways and EaseMyTrip to jointly and severally refund ₹1,86,168 with 12% annual interest. It separately awarded ₹1 lakh as compensation for mental agony and inconvenience and ₹20,000 towards litigation costs.
The financial relief consists of three components:
- Ticket refund: ₹1,86,168, with 12% annual interest.
- Compensation: ₹1,00,000 for mental agony and inconvenience.
- Litigation costs: ₹20,000.
The combined principal amount is ₹3,06,168, excluding interest. Both companies must comply within 45 days of receiving the order.
The case details and procedural timeline were reported by Hyderabad Mail.
Children Added as Legal Representatives
Raghuram Yamarthi and his wife, Shaal Rekha Yamarthi, filed the consumer complaint. Raghuram died while the proceedings were pending.
The commission subsequently added their children, Yamaithi Revanth and Yamarthi Rachna, as legal representatives through an order dated February 24, 2026.
The proceedings continued through the legal representatives, culminating in the September 29, 2026, order directing Qatar Airways and EaseMyTrip to provide the refund, compensation and litigation costs.
The ruling addresses the family’s complaint over a medically necessary flight cancellation and holds both the airline and the booking platform responsible for their failure to resolve the refund dispute.
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