Chandigarh District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission recently imposed a penalty of ₹15,000 on SpiceJet and a travel agent for a partial refund of fares for flights cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic reported Bar and Bench.
A coram of President Pawanjit Singh and members Surjeet Kaur and Suresh Kumar Sardana noted that the airline failed to explain why it withheld the refunds despite strict government guidelines to issue full refunds for flights cancelled during the pandemic, Bar and Bench said.
"The OPs have utterly failed to explain as to on what account they have withheld the remaining ticket amount with them once there were strict guidelines by the Government to refund full ticket amount to the passengers during the COVID period," the order said.
The Commission was hearing two complaints alleging that for flight bookings made in early April 2020, the airline had not issued a refund despite specific guidelines by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Bar and Bench reported.
The Ministry had issued an advisory to all airlines to issue full refunds without cancellation charges for flights cancelled between March 25, 2020 and April 14, 2020. In one of the complaints, the complainants received only ₹33,743 against ₹42,539 they paid for the booking. In the second, complainants received ₹10,855 against ₹13,190.
