Archive · 21 Aug 2026
Passenger wins compensation after airline wrongly demands UK visa
A man was traveling to the United States through London.
He had a valid US visa and a ticket showing that London was only a stop on his journey.
Airline staff mistakenly thought London was his final destination and asked him for a UK visa.
They then stopped him from boarding the plane.
The man complained to a consumer commission in Punjab.
The airline did not appear before the commission to defend itself.
The commission said the airline should have checked his full ticket and documents.
It ordered the airline to repay his travel costs and provide compensation.
A Punjab consumer commission ordered an airline to pay a passenger about Rs 1.72 lakh.
The passenger was denied boarding after staff allegedly treated London as his final destination.
His itinerary showed onward travel from London to Chicago and Minneapolis, with a valid US visa.
The commission ordered repayment of Rs 1,37,538 airfare, Rs 10,500 taxi fare, and Rs 25,000 compensation and litigation expenses.
The complaint against the ticketing agency was dismissed because the commission found no deficiency in its service.
- Who
- A passenger, the airline, and a ticketing agency were involved; the Punjab consumer commission decided the case.
- What
- The commission found that the passenger was wrongly denied boarding and ordered the airline to pay airfare, taxi costs, and compensation.
- Where
- The case was decided by a consumer commission in Punjab; the journey was scheduled from New Delhi through London and Chicago to Minneapolis.
- Why
- Airline staff allegedly treated London as the passenger's final destination and demanded a UK visa despite his onward US itinerary.
- Airfare
- Rs 1,37,538
- Taxi fare
- Rs 10,500
- Compensation and litigation expenses
- Rs 25,000
- Total reported award
- About Rs 1.72 lakh; the listed components total Rs 1,73,038
- Itinerary
- New Delhi to London, Chicago, and Minneapolis
- Travel document
- The passenger held a valid US visitor visa
- Ticketing agency
- The complaint against the agency was dismissed