Three passengers were left stranded at Delhi airport after their connecting flight to Toronto was cancelled at the last moment, forcing the complainant to spend another Rs 4.37 lakh on fresh tickets. When part of the original booking amount remained unpaid despite repeated refund requests, the Chandigarh State Consumer Commission upheld an order directing the airline and a travel agency to pay Rs 1,08,997, besides Rs 15,000 compensation for mental agony, harassment and Rs 10,000 litigation costs.The Chandigarh State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission presiding member Padma Pandey and member Rajesh Kumar Arya were hearing an appeal filed by a travel agency against an order passed by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-I, Chandigarh.“The contention of the appellant that the cancellation was due to geopolitical tensions and that partial refund was justified, does not absolve them of liability towards the consumer. The passengers were left stranded at the airport at odd hours without prior intimation, and the complainant was compelled to incur additional expenditure,” the commission said on October 7.The complainant had booked tickets for her daughter, Drishiti, and two other passengers, Neha Devi and Deepankshi, to travel from Amritsar to Toronto via New Delhi in April 2024.Passengers wait through the nightAccording to the complaint, the three passengers boarded their scheduled flight from Amritsar to Delhi on April 15, 2024, and reached Delhi at around 5.30pm. Their connecting flight to Toronto was due to depart at 3.45am on April 16. The complainant said the connecting flight was first rescheduled and then cancelled. An email about the revised departure time arrived at 3.31 am, shortly before the original departure, according to the order.The passengers waited at the airport until the revised departure time of 6 am, but the flight did not operate. The complainant then booked tickets with another airline on April 16, paying Rs 4,37,400 so the three passengers could continue their journey. The original tickets, extra baggage and seat reservations cost Rs 5,15,278.The airline said the electronic miscellaneous document associated with the booking had been partially utilised and was non-refundable. It also advised the complainant to approach the travel agency because the tickets had been booked through an intermediary.Story continues below this adThe travel agency arranged a partial refund by issuing three cheques of Rs 1,27,000 each. The airline separately refunded Rs 9,951 in seat reservation charges. The complainant said a substantial amount remained unpaid.The district commission partly allowed the complaint against the airline and travel agency. It directed them to pay Rs 1,08,997 with simple interest at 9 per cent per annum from March 2, 2024. It also awarded Rs 15,000 as compensation for mental agony and harassment and Rs 10,000 towards litigation costs.State commission rejects appealThe travel agency challenged the district commission’s order, arguing that the findings did not properly account for the evidence and that it was not responsible for any deficiency in service. The agency attributed the disruption to tensions between Iran and Israel in West Asia, which it said had affected the flight route and caused an indefinite delay.The commission said geopolitical circumstances did not absolve the agency of liability. The district commission had accounted for service charges and the journey already undertaken when calculating the refund.Story continues below this adIt also rejected the agency’s contention that the district commission had not found a deficiency in service, noting that the order recorded such a finding against the airline and the agency. Finding no illegality or perversity in the district commission’s decision, the state commission dismissed the agency’s appeal with no order as to costs.TakeawayIf a flight is cancelled and a refund is withheld, retain your tickets, cancellation emails, payment receipts and refund correspondence, and approach the appropriate consumer commission if the dispute remains unresolved.For consumer-related grievances, individuals may contact the consumer helpline in their respective states and union territories (Chandigarh helpline:0172-270-0183) or call the National Consumer Helpline at 1915 for assistance.Do not miss out on these stories:‘No milk for baby’ on Delhi-Melbourne flight of 16 hours, airline ordered to pay Rs 50,000Story continues below this adRs 42.92 lakh debited ‘illegally’ from old woman’s SBI account, she gets Rs 44 lakhMan dies post-hernia surgery in 2014: Family gets Rs 20 lakh payout for negligence