Royal Jordanian airline has been ordered to pay Rs5 lakh as damages to Nanak Singh, a resident of Jalandhar, for bumping him off a flight to Greece not once, but twice. The ruling came from the Punjab State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and was subsequently upheld by the Punjab district consumer court and the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. Nanak, who worked in Greece, came to India in 2000 on holiday. His re-entry visa to Greece was valid till March 6, 2000, so Nanak bought a ticket returning to Greece on Royal Jordanian for March 2. But when Nanak reached the airport, he was told that the flight was overbooked and that his seat had been given to someone else. He was asked to come back on March 4. He did so, but was told once again that he could not fly, as the flight had been overbooked. Nanak informed the airline that if he did not arrive in Greece by March 6, he would lose his job and property. The airline eventually flew him to Athens on March 25. However, the Greek authorities deported Nanak back to India and he lost his job and property in Athens. Royal Jordanian appealed to the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, but its petition was dismissed. ‘A case of overbooking comes under consumer law, and constitutes negligence, as the damage is a direct outcome of the airline’s failure to fly the consumer to his destination,’ says Shishir Deshpande, chairman, Mumbai Grahak Panchayat.

Take action
If you are a victim of overbooking, follow these guidelines:

• Approach the airline directly. Visit, call or e-mail it. You will get a fair idea about the airline’s approach in a dispute.
  Ensure you have all your travel documents, including your boarding pass, ticket (or a printout of your e-ticket), correspondence letters/emails to and from the airlines, etc.
  You can file a case against the airline either in a civil court or in a consumer court – the latter is a better option as it’s quicker.