Just Burger And Fries For A 14-Hour Flight Delay Costs SpiceJet Rs 55,000

The man alleged apart from a single serving of burger and fries, passengers were given neither meals nor hotel accommodation, in "direct violation of civil aviation and DGCA guidelines."

The passenger said that apart from a single serving of burger and fries, passengers were given neither meals nor hotel accommodation.

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A district consumer commission in Mumbai has directed SpiceJet Ltd to pay a Mulund resident Rs 50,000 as compensation and Rs 5,000 as legal costs for failing to provide adequate facilities during a 14-hour flight delay.

The order came on a complaint filed by Dinesh Hemrajani, who had booked the Dubai-Mumbai flight SG 60 scheduled to depart at 4 pm on July 27, 2024, but which eventually took off at 6:10 am the next morning.

Hemrajani alleged that apart from a single serving of burger and fries, passengers were given neither meals nor hotel accommodation, in “direct violation of civil aviation and DGCA guidelines.”

SpiceJet Says The Delay Due To Technical Reasons

The airline argued that the delay was due to “operational and technical reasons” and that passengers were bound by the terms of carriage. However, the commission held SpiceJet “negligent and deficient in service”, noting it had failed to prove that necessary steps were taken to support passengers.

"Adequate arrangements of meals, refreshments and water, and providing a necessary relaxing area are...required in said scenario. Further, travellers must be kept well-informed of the delay," the commission said.

"In a nutshell, if airlines take the defence that they took all reasonable steps, then it is to be proved and supported with flight logs, notices and communication. But in the present case, it merely relied on the provisions of CAR (Civil Aviation Requirements) and the Carriage by Air Act (CAA). The airlines failed to bring on record anything that can support its claim that there is no deficiency in service," the commission added.

The airline, however, cited clauses from CAR and CAA, which state that airlines are not liable for delays caused by circumstances beyond their control.

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (Mumbai Suburban) under president Pradeep Kadu and member Gauri M Kapse passed the order last week. The details were made public on Monday.