Woman travelling to Bengaluru reached London after her flight was rerouted, left stranded at Heathrow airport without a UK visa, consumer court orders airline to pay Rs 1.6 lakh

A woman travelling from Bengaluru to Toronto was left stranded at London airport during her international journey, without UK visa, proper food, water, and had to arrange money from her roommate to book another flight back to Bengaluru. She had booked her international round-trip ticket through EaseMyTrip for Rs 1,38,945, according to the consumer commission's order.

The Bengaluru 1st and Rural Additional District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ordered British Airways to refund the full ticket amount, Rs 1.38 lakh and pay Rs 25,000 in compensation and cover Rs 2,000 in legal costs.

How a cancelled flight left her stranded at London Airport

Bhadrapriya was pursuing a PhD in neurobiology at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. She booked a international round-trip ticket through EaseMyTrip on January 17, 2024, for Rs 1,38,945. Her itinerary covered travel between Saskatoon and Bengaluru, with the onward journey scheduled for August 1 and the return journey for August 29, 2024.


When she reached Saskatoon airport on August 1, she was informed that her WestJet flight to Toronto had been cancelled without prior notice. WestJet arranged an alternative route via Calgary and London so she could reach Heathrow in time for her connecting British Airways flight to Bengaluru. She was told to collect her boarding pass at London airport.

However, when she reached Heathrow, British Airways refused to issue the boarding pass, citing booking issues. Bhadrapriya said she had arrived about two hours and 45 minutes before departure, yet the flight left without her.

She was left trying to resolve problems involving her onward journey, food, accommodation and luggage. She also faced difficulty accessing her luggage because she did not have a UK visa. Unable to continue her journey as planned, she contacted a friend in Canada for financial help and booked an Etihad Airways flight for Rs 1,65,926 to reach Bengaluru on August 4.

She also booked a separate Etihad ticket at the same cost for her return to Canada.

British Airways claimed she was a no-show

British Airways argued that Bhadrapriya had failed to check in for its Toronto-to-London flight and had been marked as a “no-show”. According to the airline, this led to the cancellation of her onward and return reservations.

The commission found a crucial problem with this defence, British Airways had not produced documents supporting its claim that the passenger failed to report for the flight.

The passenger's account was that WestJet had cancelled her original flight and rerouted her through Calgary and London to reach the British Airways connection. The commission considered her claim that she reached Heathrow in time for the Bengaluru flight and found that the airline had not established that she had failed to report for boarding.

The bench said that, in the absence of credible evidence, the airline's contention could not be accepted. This became central to its finding that British Airways had failed to provide proper service.

British Airways offered a £50 voucher

British Airways sent the passenger an apology letter accompanied by an offer of a £50 electronic voucher. Her father, Sivakumar N, represented her under a power of attorney and rejected the offer in an email dated October 10, 2024.

The family subsequently sought a refund and other relief for the disruption. On January 9, 2025, a legal notice was sent to the parties demanding the return of the original Rs 1,38,945 ticket price.

The records included the original booking, boarding passes, passport details, correspondence with the companies and proof of the roommate's bank transfer. Together, these records helped establish the booking and the subsequent travel arrangements.

The roommate's transfer was particularly relevant because it showed that the passenger needed financial assistance to arrange her return flight from London.

Why the commission held British Airways liable

The commission, comprising president Syed Anser Kaleem and members Jyothi N and Renukadevi Deshpande, distinguished between the roles of the three companies involved.

It found no deficiency in service by EaseMyTrip, which had facilitated the booking. It also dismissed the complaint against WestJet, which had arranged the alternative itinerary after the original flight cancellation.

British Airways, however, was found to have failed in its responsibility to assist the passenger attempting to board her connecting flight in a foreign country. The commission considered the difficulties she faced over food, accommodation, immigration and travel arrangements after being left at London airport.

British Airways had apologised and offered a £50 electronic voucher. Bhadrapriya rejected the offer, which the commission considered inadequate in light of the losses arising from the replacement flights.

The commission concluded that the airline's failure to provide diligent assistance amounted to deficiency in service. Its decision rested on the circumstances of this case, including the lack of evidence supporting the airline's no-show claim.

British Airways ordered to pay Rs 1.66 lakh

In its order dated October 8, 2026, the commission allowed the complaint against British Airways and dismissed it against EaseMyTrip and WestJet.

The airline must refund the original booking amount of Rs 1,38,945, pay Rs 25,000 as compensation for the passenger's suffering and pay Rs 2,000 towards litigation costs. The total amount ordered is Rs 1,65,945, excluding interest.

British Airways must comply within 30 days of the order.

The ruling gives the passenger substantially more relief than the £50 voucher initially offered by British Airways. It directs the airline to return the original ticket price and pay additional compensation and legal costs, while holding neither EaseMyTrip nor WestJet liable.