Father unable to attend his son's wedding; Air India should pay Rs 7 lakh as compensation

KOTTAYAM: The Kottayam District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ordered Air India to pay compensation of Rs 7 lakh to a father who could not attend his son's wedding because he was denied permission to travel to England despite having sufficient travel documents and a valid ticket. The order of the commission, with Adv VS Manulal as president and R Bindu and KM Anto as members, is based on the complaint of Udayanapuram Thennat Antony.

Anthony booked an Air India ticket from Kochi on August 25 to attend his son's wedding in Birmingham, England on August 28, 2018. Unable to travel from Kochi, Antony bought a ticket to Birmingham on another Air India flight from Delhi. But Anthony, who has a permanent residence permit in Britain, was denied travel by Air India on the grounds that he had stayed outside Britain for more than two years. Antony arrived the next day in Manchester from Kochi on Qatar Airways and then by road to Birmingham, but by then the marriage was over. The commission investigated the complaint and found that Antony had traveled from Kochi on Qatar Airways using the same travel permit rejected by Air India. Anthony's denial of travel permission is considered to be a mistake on the part of Air India.