Gandhinagar Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (CDRC) has ordered Air India Ltd to provide compensation, including cost and interest, to Dr Apurva Shah, a professor of Surgery at B J Medical College in Ahmedabad.
The airline was found guilty of not allowing Dr Shah to travel from Delhi to Ahmedabad with his pet cat. The CDRC has ordered Air India Ltd to pay for the ticket charge, pet fees, and pet carriage charge.
According to the case details, Dr Shah had sought compensation after his pet cat was denied travel from Delhi to Ahmedabad by Air India Ltd. Dr Shah’s daughter Tvisha Shah had recently returned from the USA and was travelling from Delhi to Ahmedabad with her pet cat.
Dr Shah had booked a flight from Delhi to Ahmedabad on 23 September, 2022. He alleged that Air India did not state a standard procedure for registering an animal in advance. He went to the Air India office to find out the procedure, but it was noticed that the location was just a “Cargo” office. He inquired from the staff and officer at the airport but received no positive response, which left him anguished.
On 23 September 2022, after the check-in process had already been completed, it was informed that since the cat weighed more than 5 Kg, a metal cage was insisted upon. Dr Shah’s daughter immediately bought a metal carrier from PetsFly at the Delhi airport for Rs.4,500/- in cash.
The approval of the captain of the flight was awaited, and after a considerable amount of waiting, one of the employees informed that the cat had received approval, and it was finally placed in the metal carrier.
However, the airport authority expressed inability for the cat to travel due to the lack of oxygen, and Dr Shah requested to be accommodated on another flight.
According to his claim, there was no response, and his luggage was lying in the cargo while he was waiting for the cat. He was flatly refused any help to go to Ahmedabad with the pet, and after a struggle of one hour, the cat was handed back to him.
An alternative flight was also denied, and no refund was given to him. He was compelled to hire a vehicle by which he reached Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
The bone of contention in the case has arisen from the moment that the cat was not permitted to travel due to the paucity of oxygen. Dr Shah was left without any alternative flight, and the CDRC has ruled in his favor, ordering Air India Ltd to compensate him for the ticket charge, pet fees, and pet carriage charge, as well as the cost and interest.
Comments
0 comment