A student from Jaipur has won a consumer dispute against Air India over excess baggage charges collected during her journey from London to India. The Rajasthan State Consumer Commission enhanced the compensation awarded to her, observing that she had faced unnecessary harassment and prolonged litigation.
The student denied the benefit under the baggage scheme
The case stemmed from Air India's "Maharaja Scholar Scheme", which offered additional baggage allowance to students travelling on international routes. Lavanya Magon, who was pursuing her studies in the United Kingdom, had booked a ticket on Air India Flight AI-162 for travel from London to India in July 2021, as per News18 reports.
According to her complaint, the airline denied her the benefit of the student scheme at the time of check-in and charged her GBP 350, equivalent to ₹34,131, as excess baggage fees. Believing the charge was unjustified, she sought a refund from the airline soon after her journey.
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The airline initially rejected the refund request
Air India initially maintained that Magon did not qualify for the scheme because of the duration and completion date of her academic programme. The student, however, argued that she had completed a four-year course within three years under a special academic arrangement and that her travel was linked to the completion of her studies.
Despite her explanations and repeated correspondence with the airline, the refund was not processed.
Air India later acknowledged eligibility
The commission noted that after multiple exchanges, Air India eventually accepted that Magon was entitled to the additional baggage allowance under the student scheme. On September 26, 2021, the airline agreed that she qualified for the benefit and initiated the refund process. It subsequently sought her credit card details and other information required to complete the payment, per News18.
However, the refund was never made, forcing the student to approach the consumer forum for relief.
Commission enhances compensation
A district consumer commission had earlier ordered Air India to refund ₹34,131 and pay ₹4,000 as compensation, along with ₹3,000 towards litigation expenses. Dissatisfied with the compensation amount, Magon challenged the order before the state commission.
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Allowing her appeal in part, the Rajasthan State Consumer Commission increased compensation for mental agony to ₹30,000 and litigation costs to ₹10,000 while retaining the refund amount.
The commission was quoted as saying by News18, "The circumstances establish that the appellant/complainant, who is a student, had to undergo unnecessary mental harassment and her valuable time was unnecessarily wasted in litigation, making her mental anguish entirely justified", according to News18. As a result, Air India has been directed to pay a total of ₹74,131 to the student.
