NCDRC rejects complaint against Jet Airways, blames passenger

NEW DELHI: The apex consumer commission has rejected a man's plea seeking compensation from Jet Airways for missing his Delhi-Jaipur flight, saying he has to blame only himself for not being able to board it as the gates had been closed.

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) dismissed the plea of Jaipur resident Sheel Ratanam against the Rajasthan state commission order declining his plea for a Rs 25 lakh compensation from the airline for not allowing him to board his connecting flight.The commission said there was no deficiency on part of the airline and the passenger had taken a calculated risk by booking tickets for two flights with a time gap of just 35 minutes between landing and take off.

The man had booked two Jet Airways flights from Patna to Delhi and Delhi to Jaipur in 2014 but could not board the second flight as the gates were closed by the time he reached.

"He took a calculated risk by booking tickets for connecting flight, which was to take off after just 35 minutes of the time at which the first flight, that is the flight from Patna to Delhi, was to arrive at Delhi airport.

"The complainant has to blame only himself if he could not board the connecting flight to Jaipur on account of gates having been closed by the time he reached there to board the flight to Jaipur. Absolutely no deficiency on the part of the respondent in rendering services to him, is made out in such circumstances," the NCDRC said.

According to the complaint lodged by the man, he reached the boarding gate 10 minutes before his flight was to take off from Delhi to Jaipur at 3.05 pm after his Patna-Delhi flight landed at 2.30 pm.

He could not board the second flight to Jaipur as the gates had been closed by the time he reached there, it said while seeking a compensation from Jet Airways for alleged deficiency.

The airline denied the allegations and said that boarding gates close 25 minutes before a flight departs, but the complainant reported at the boarding gates only five minutes before take off.The state commission had on November 22, 2017 dismissed the complaint, after which the complainant moved the NCDRC.The NCDRC also said it was evident that the complainant did not have sufficient time to board the second flight.

"Moreover, it is not necessary that the complainant would be the first passengers to get down from the plane. It is quite possible that he will take time to come out of the plane after the gate has opened. It will take some time to reach the other gates.

"As rightly noted by the State Commission, even through the internal passage, 15-20 minutes would be required to reach one gate from the other. Therefore, a passenger who has to board a connecting flight must necessarily keep sufficient time lag between getting down from the first flight and boarding the second flight," it said.