Airline directed to pay Rs 1.67 lakh to student barred from Canada-bound flight due to Schengen visa confusion

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

student who was barred from boarding a Toronto-bound flight due to a visa-related issue. The incident, which involved stoppages in Munich and Frankfurt, Germany, highlighted the airline's failure to inform the passenger about the requirement of a transit Schengen visa.

The case centered on Maharshi Yadav, a resident of Gandhinagar, who was traveling to Canada for further studies. Yadav, who held a valid student visa for Canada, had booked a flight from Mumbai to Toronto for April 13, 2022. The flight included layovers in Munich and Frankfurt, both in Germany. However, during check-in at Mumbai airport, the airline staff informed Yadav that he required a transit Schengen visa for the layovers, which he did not possess. Consequently, he was denied boarding.

Pressed for time, Yadav cancelled the original ticket and booked an alternative flight with Emirates Airlines, costing him Rs 1.70 lakh, to reach Canada the next day. Subsequently, Yadav, through his mother and legal counsel Sunil Chhabaria, filed a complaint with the Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission in Gandhinagar, alleging a deficiency in service on the part of the airline. The complaint argued that the airline had failed to notify Yadav in advance about the necessity of a transit Schengen visa for his journey.

In its defense, the airline maintained that Yadav could not have boarded the flight without the required visa and argued that the ticket was non-refundable. Despite this, the commission found the airline's actions to be deficient, ruling in favor