1 burger for 14hr flight delay costs airline 55,000

Mumbai: A single burger and fries were clearly inadequate for a 14-hour flight delay. Pointing this out, a district consumer commission has ordered SpiceJet Ltd to pay Rs 50,000 in compensation for “expenses incurred and mental agony” to a Mulund resident and an additional Rs 5,000 to cover legal costs.

“Adequate arrangements of meals, refreshments and water, and providing necessary relaxing area are… required in said scenario. Further, travellers must be kept well-informed of the delay,” the commission said, holding that by failing to do so, SpiceJet was found to be negligent and deficient in its service. “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.