A Himachal Pradesh consumer commission has ordered Easy Trip Planners to pay Rs 43,261 to a groom who was stranded at Leh airport shortly before his wedding after his Go First flight was cancelled without prior notice.

In its July 17 order, the commission held the online travel platform responsible for selling the passenger a ticket two days after Go First had suspended flight operations and subsequently failing to inform or assist him when the flight did not operate.

The amount awarded includes a refund of the Rs 14,261 airfare, Rs 25,000 as compensation for mental agony and physical harassment, and Rs 4,000 towards litigation expenses.

A bench comprising commission president Hemanshu Mishra and members Sneh Lata and Joginder Mahajan noted that the passenger had to travel from Leh under severe time constraints to attend his own wedding in Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh.

The anxiety and helplessness faced by a groom who discovers at a high-altitude airport that his flight has been cancelled on the eve of his wedding could not be ignored, the commission observed.

It said the passenger was pushed into an commercial emergency and had to book a car to take him to his wedding as a last resort because the booking platform neither informed him about the cancellation in advance nor arranged an alternative journey or offered logistical assistance.

Stranded hours before his wedding

The complainant had booked a Go First flight from Leh to New Delhi through EaseMyTrip on May 5, 2023, paying Rs 14,261.

When he reached Leh airport on the scheduled date of travel, he was told that the flight had been cancelled. According to the complaint, neither Easy Trip Planners Ltd, which operates EaseMyTrip, nor Go First had sent him an email, text message or any other advance notice.

With his wedding approaching and no alternative travel arrangement in place, the passenger hired a commercial vehicle to travel from Leh towards Delhi. The road journey cost him an additional Rs 18,000.

The commission noted that the geographic conditions in the remote region compounded the emergency, forcing him to undertake a difficult journey through mountainous terrain to reach his wedding on time.

The passenger later approached the travel platform several times, seeking a refund of the airfare and reimbursement of the taxi expense. After failing to receive relief, he moved the consumer commission.

EaseMyTrip says it was only an intermediary

EaseMyTrip denied responsibility, arguing that it had acted only as an online travel intermediary and that the contract for carriage was between the passenger and the airline.

The platform said the flight had been cancelled by Go First due to operational reasons. It also argued that, under its user agreement, it could process the passenger’s refund only after receiving the money from the airline.

It claimed that it had repeatedly followed up with Go First regarding the refund and maintained that there had been no failure on its part. Go First did not appear before the commission, following which the matter against the airline was considered in its absence.

Ticket sold after airline suspended operations

The commission noted that Go First had filed for insolvency protection and suspended all flight operations on May 3, 2023. The passenger’s ticket, however, was issued on May 5 that is two days after the airline stopped operating flights.

The commission held that the booking platform could not avoid responsibility after issuing a ticket despite the airline’s operational shutdown. It also faulted the company for failing to warn the passenger about the foreseeable cancellation.

The platform had failed in its duty to the customer by selling the ticket after Go First suspended operations and then providing no timely information, assistance or alternative arrangement, the order said.

The commission further observed that the booking platform’s inaction exposed the passenger to severe distress, physical hardship and possible social embarrassment as he struggled to reach his own wedding.

Taking into account the emergency road journey, the difficult terrain and the anxiety caused by the lack of communication, the commission awarded Rs 25,000 as compensation, apart from ordering the ticket refund and payment of litigation costs.

The ruling indicates that online travel platforms may be held accountable when they continue selling tickets despite being aware that an airline has suspended operations. It also underlines their responsibility to promptly inform passengers about cancellations and assist them with refunds and alternative arrangements.

Consumers facing similar grievances may contact the consumer helpline in their respective states (Himachal Pradesh: 1800-180-8087) or dial the National Consumer Helpline at 1915 for assistance.