A Bengaluru family faced a nightmare at Kempegowda International Airport when they were denied boarding on a British Airways flight to the US due to a ticket suspension issue. Gopal Ramachandraiah, 42, had booked return tickets for himself, his wife, and their toddler through the travel agency CheapOair, paying over ₹3 lakh. Despite the payment being deducted, the family was stopped from flying to Denver on September 27, 2022.
Left stranded with no prior notice, Gopal had to book alternative tickets on Lufthansa from Mumbai the next day, costing ₹3.6 lakh. After getting no response from the airline or travel agency, he filed a complaint with the Bengaluru Consumer Court in August 2023.
British Airways defended its actions, citing a flagged payment issue, and claimed a full refund was processed in August 2023. The airline also argued that since it was a business trip, consumer protection laws didn’t apply. However, the commission ruled that both British Airways and CheapOair were negligent and failed to inform Gopal about the issue in advance.
The court ordered the airline and agency to pay ₹1 lakh in damages and ₹20,000 in legal costs, along with 8% interest on the original fare. The ruling reinforced passengers’ rights and accountability in the airline industry.
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