Court orders MMT, Air France to pay Rs 1.01 lakh to a city resident

They had failed to issue a voucher or refund

Passenger had booked a flight during Covid-19

In a significant ruling, the Bengaluru Additional District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-III has directed Make My Trip (MMT) and Air France to pay Rs 1.01 lakh to a city resident after failing to issue a voucher or refund for a flight that was canceled due to the nationwide lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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On August 20, the court, presided over by Shivarama K, ordered the travel platform and the airline to compensate Shushanth Singh, a resident of Republic of Whitefield, Bengaluru. Singh was set to travel to Paris with his family on March 23, 2020, but the trip was canceled due to the lockdowns in India and France.

Singh had booked the tickets through Make My Trip for Rs 81,985, after availing a discount. Following the cancellation, Air France offered Singh a choice between a refund and a voucher valid for a year, which included a free date change option. Singh opted for the voucher, but despite repeated follow-ups, it was never issued.

Singh’s complaints to Make My Trip were met with an offer of a mere Rs 3,198, prompting him to file a case with the consumer court. The court ruled that Make My Trip, as the intermediary, was responsible for managing the booking and processing the voucher. The company’s failure to do so, along with inadequate customer support, led to the verdict in Singh’s favor.

The court ordered the companies to refund the full ticket amount with 9% interest from March 2020, along with Rs 10,000 each for mental agony and litigation costs.