Did you know that an airline was fined a sum of Rs. 1.67 lakh recently? Why was that? Flyopedia is here to tell it all. According to our reports, an airline was fined Rs. 1.67 lakh because they wrongly kept a student from boarding their flight. The destination of the flight was Canada and it was all due to a Schengen visa confusion. Get your flights booked after you go through this situation. We will ensure that flight tickets from Canada to India are available for you at all times.
Why was the airline fined a huge sum for preventing a student from boarding their Canada bound flight?
A consumer commission has ruled that an airline must pay Rs 1 lakh in compensation and refund Rs 67,000 to a student. The student was denied boarding as they did not have a transit Schengen visa. The commission carped the airline as they failed to inform the passenger about the visa requirement for layovers in Germany. This became a landmark ruling. Let’s see why.
What happened during the primary incident of this issue?
The airline stopped a student from boarding a Toronto – bound flight because there was a visa – related confusion. This incident included the flight stopping over in Munich and Frankfurt in Germany. As a result, this highlighted the airline’s fault as they failed to inform the flier about the requirement of a transit Schengen visa.
Which people are involved in this incident?
Maharshi Yadav, the protagonist of the case, was going to Canada for his studies. He had a valid student visa and had booked a flight from Mumbai to Toronto. His flight was scheduled to leave on 13th April, 2022. The scheduled flight had 2 layovers, in Munich and Frankfurt, both of which are in Germany. Since now is where the story overturns, learn carefully before getting cheap business class flights to Mumbai with us.
Where did this incident take a drastic turn?
Now, during the check – in process at Mumbai airport, the airline staff informed Maharshi that he required a transit Schengen visa for the layovers. Hence, they denied him boarding the flight because he did not have the necessary documents.
What happened after Maharshi was denied boarding?
Since Maharshi was short on time, he cancelled the ticket and booked an alternate flight with Emirates. This cost him a whopping Rs. 1.70 lakh, all just to get to Canada the next day. As a result, he filed a complaint with the help of his mother and legal counsel Sunil Chhabaria.
He complained to the Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission in Gandhinagar, that the airline did not fulfil its duty. It did not inform the student about the necessary documents he had to have in order to reach Canada. Hence, it was a deficiency of service on the airline’s part.
How did the airline address the issue and what was the result?
The airline explained that Yadav could not have boarded the flight without the Schengen visa and that the flight ticket was non – refundable. Even after this, the commission found that the airline’s services were lacking and ruled in favor of Maharshi.
Commission judgement and statement in their own words
“We are utterly shocked to know that the complainant had a student visa for Toronto. How was he expected to have a transit Schengen visa for Munich and Frankfurt? He was not going to tour in a foreign country.”
“It was the duty of the respondent (airline) to inform or intimate the complainant of the requirement of such a transit visa, but it was not reminded to the complainant by the respondent, which clearly shows a deficiency in service. Therefore, in our considered opinion, the complainant was falsely and painfully stopped at the airport by such opponent authority. Hence, in our considered conclusion, the complainant’s right to travel abroad has been violated by the opponent without resorting to a just, reasonable, and fair procedure established by law.”
So, the next time you avail Canada to India business class flight deals with us, ensure you keep that in mind. Explore the world now!
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