A Hyderabad consumer commission has directed Qatar Airways and online travel platform EaseMyTrip to jointly pay more than Rs 3 lakh to a family after a dispute over the refund of international flight tickets that were cancelled when a passenger was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour.
The complaint was filed by Hyderabad residents Raghuram Yamarthi and his wife, Shaal Rekha Yamarthi, who had booked flight tickets for travel from Hyderabad to Atlanta in the United States. The complainants alleged that their request for a refund was not properly addressed despite repeated follow-ups, leading them to approach the consumer commission. During the pendency of the proceedings, Raghuram died. The commission held Qatar Airways and EaseMyTrip jointly liable for the relief granted.
In an order dated September 29, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-III, Hyderabad, directed the two companies to refund Rs 1,86,168 with 12% annual interest and pay Rs 1 lakh as compensation for mental agony and inconvenience. The commission also awarded Rs 20,000 towards litigation costs, taking the total financial relief to Rs 3,06,168 before the addition of interest. Through an order dated February 24, the commission allowed the couple’s children, Yamarthi Revanth and Yamarthi Rachna, to be impleaded as legal representatives in the case. The companies were directed to comply with the order within 45 days of receiving it. Under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, consumers can seek redressal for deficiency in service and may claim appropriate relief, including refunds and compensation, depending on the facts and evidence of a case.
The family sought cancellation of the tickets and a refund after Raghuram was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour, which made it impossible for him to undertake the planned journey, according to the complaint.
