Air India fined Rs 60,000 for changing booked seats of senior couple, leaving hip replacement patient in cramped seat for 14-hour flight

A Punjab state consumer commission has enhanced the compensation awarded to an elderly couple after Air India changed their pre-booked seats at the time of boarding, forcing a man who had undergone hip replacement surgery to sit in a narrow seat with reduced legroom for a 14-hour flight.

The commission raised the compensation from Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000, finding that the amount originally awarded by the district-level forum was too low given the physical and mental consequences the couple had suffered.

What happened


Amarjit Singh Ralla and his wife Paramjit Kaur Ralla, residents of village Urapar in SBS Nagar district, Punjab, had booked seats 17A and 17B on Air India flight AI-0188 through a travel agency called Mann Travels.

The tickets were purchased specifically to attend a family function. Both Amarjit and Paramjit are senior citizens.

At the time of boarding, Air India changed their seat numbers and allotted them seat 19D instead, which the complainants said had significantly less legroom.

For Amarjit, who had already undergone hip replacement surgery, the consequences were severe. He was made to sit in the cramped seat for the entire 14-hour duration of the flight.

According to the complaint, he suffered acute spinal pain and swelling in his legs after the journey and was bedridden for nearly a month. He could not attend the family function for which the tickets had been purchased in the first place.

His wife Paramjit was also separated from her husband during the flight because of the seat reassignment, which the commission acknowledged caused her mental agony and humiliation on top of the distress of watching her husband struggle.

What the Couple Did

After receiving no satisfactory response from Air India or the travel agency, the couple filed a consumer complaint before the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, through their authorised representative Dr. P.J.S. Ralla, a practising doctor who is a family member.

They sought:

• A full refund of the ticket amount with 12% interest
• Rs 50,000 towards cost of medical treatment
• Appropriate compensation for physical and mental pain, agony, and harassment
• Rs 50,000 towards litigation expenses, noting that their representative was a practising doctor who had to set aside his professional practice to fight the case.

What the district commission decided

The couple had initially approached the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, which partly allowed their complaint and directed Air India to pay Rs 40,000 as lump-sum compensation including litigation expenses.

The travel agency, Mann Travels, did not appear before the district commission and was proceeded against ex-parte.

Unhappy with the amount, the couple filed an appeal before the Punjab State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, arguing that Rs 40,000 was far too little given the physical harm suffered by a senior citizen and the fact that their authorised representative, a practising doctor, had to put his professional work on hold to fight the case.

What the state commission ruled

The state commission, headed by Justice Daya Chaudhary as President and members Simarjot Kaur and Vishav Kant Garg, agreed that the compensation awarded at the district level was on the lower side.

It noted that the case involved not just a service deficiency but clear negligence on Air India's part, and that both physical and mental suffering had been established on record.

The commission accordingly enhanced the total compensation from Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000, to be paid by Air India towards mental agony, physical harassment, and litigation expenses.

Air India has been directed to comply with the order. The appeal was partly allowed.

Check the full judgement here: