AI to pay up `1 lakh for stale food

NEW DELHI: Air India has been directed to pay `1 lakh by the apex consumer commission as compensation for serving stale food to a passenger aboard a Mumbai-New York flight.

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, while dismissing a revision petition filed by the airline in 2015, said “the nature of deficiency in service” could have affected the health of several passengers.

“Taking into account the nature of deficiency in service and the fact that it would have affected the health of several passengers, we do not find any fault with the order of State Commission, enhancing the compensation to `1 lakh,” said the bench, presided over by Justice Ajit Bharihoke, and also upheld the award of `10,000 as litigation cost by district forum

The Maharashtra State Consumer Commission had earlier enhanced to `1 lakh from `15,000, the compensation awarded by the district forum, saying the passenger might have been required to go foodless during the remaining journey and such conditions create a bad situation during air travel.

According to the complaint filed by Malti Madhukar Pahade, she was served with stale food while travelling in the Air India flight from Mumbai to New York. She claimed she also found a strand of hair in the rice bowl.

Pahade described the bad state of curd served and referred it as “green as cherry”.