NEW DELHI– Air India (AI) and Thakural Travels must pay approximately Rs 1.34 lakh in refunds, compensation and litigation costs after three passengers were stranded at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi (DEL), following the last-minute cancellation of their connecting flight to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ). The Chandigarh State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission upheld the payment order on October 7, 2026.
The case arose from a journey booked from Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar (ATQ), to Toronto via Delhi on April 15 and 16, 2024. After the passengers completed the first leg of their journey, Air India rescheduled and subsequently cancelled their connecting flight, forcing the complainant to purchase replacement tickets costing Rs 4,37,400 and seek a refund for the unused portion of the original booking.
Air India Flight Cancellation
The complainant had booked tickets for her daughter, Drishiti, and two other passengers, Neha Devi and Deepankshi, through Thakural Travels. The total booking expenditure included airfare, additional baggage charges, and seat reservation fees.
The three women boarded their scheduled Amritsar-Delhi flight on April 15, 2024. They were due to depart for Toronto on an Air India flight at 3:45 am the following day, but the cancellation disrupted their onward journey and left them waiting at the airport.
With no suitable alternative arranged for their original itinerary, the complainant purchased fresh tickets on another airline for Rs 4,37,400. She subsequently pursued a refund for the cancelled flight and associated charges.
Thakural Travels initially issued three cheques totalling Rs 3.81 lakh after deducting processing charges. Air India separately refunded Rs 9,951 in seat reservation fees. However, the complainant maintained that Rs 1,24,327 remained unpaid despite repeated requests.
Travel Agency Defends Refund
Thakural Travels argued that tensions between Iran and Israel had disrupted the route to Toronto and contributed to the cancellation.
The agency also claimed that it had offered to reschedule the journey and advised the complainant to obtain a nil-value cancellation endorsement from Air India to facilitate a full refund.
Riya Travels and Tours India Pvt Ltd, another agency involved in the booking process, maintained that it had issued the tickets and handled cancellation and refund procedures according to instructions received through the intermediary booking chain.
Air India’s defence before the district commission was struck off after it failed to file its reply within the prescribed period.
The district commission subsequently held Air India and Thakural Travels responsible for the deficiency in service and directed them to pay the outstanding refund, compensation and litigation expenses.
Consumer Commission Upholds Order
The state commission found no sufficient grounds to overturn the district commission’s decision.
It rejected the argument that geopolitical tensions justified withholding the outstanding refund, noting that the circumstances did not remove the companies’ responsibility towards the consumer.
The commission also considered the passengers’ ordeal at the airport and the additional expenditure incurred to complete their journey.
It concluded that the district commission had appropriately accounted for the completed portion of the trip and applicable service charges when calculating the refund.
Under the upheld order, Air India and Thakural Travels must jointly pay Rs 1,08,997 with 9% annual simple interest, Rs 15,000 as compensation for mental agony and harassment, and Rs 10,000 towards litigation costs, TOI reported.
The total fixed payout amounts to Rs 1,33,997, or approximately Rs 1.34 lakh, excluding interest.
The companies must comply within 45 days of receiving the certified order. Failure to meet that deadline will trigger 12% annual simple interest on the specified principal amounts until payment. The state commission dismissed the appeal without awarding additional costs.
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