Swiss asked to compensate for serving wrong meal on flight

New Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) The apex consumer commission hasdirected a foreign airline to pay a compensation of Rs 20,000to a customer and upgrade his economy class ticket to businessclass if he travelled in future, as a penalty for serving himnon-vegetarian food instead of a Jain meal he had opted for. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission(NCDRC) upheld the district forum’s order also directing SwissInternational Airlines, to pay Rs 10,000 towards litigationcost and dismissed the revision petition filed by Mumbairesident Amit Jay Kumar Jain to enhance the compensation. "The opposite party (airlines) shall be bound by itscommitment to upgrade economy class to business class in oneflight booked by the complainant from India to Europe orEurope to India with a rider that the complainant mustundertake that flight within one year," the bench presided byJustice Ajit Bharihoke said. The bench, which also comprised member S M Kantikar,noted that the complainant was alerted by a co-passengerbefore he could eat the non-vegetarian food served to him. "It cannot be said with certainty that the complainantconsumed a morsel of non-vegetarian food. Thus, under thecircumstances, the compensation awarded to the complainantseem to be reasonable and there is no cause for interferingwith it," the bench added. According to the complaint, on May 6, 2011, while flyingfrom Zurich to Mumbai, Jain was served with a non-vegetarianmeal whereas he had opted for a special vegetarian Jain meal. When he approached the district forum in Mumbai, theairline said the mistake was human error and offered that infuture any one economy class ticket booked by the complainantfrom India to Europe or from Europe to India would be upgradedto business class and an apology was also tendered in writing. The forum had also granted a compensation of Rs 20,000and Rs 10,000 as cost towards the litigation to Jain. Jain’s appeal for enhancing the compensation was rejectedby the state commission after which he approached NCDRC. PTIRRT SKVARC