Hajj trip ends in misery: SpiceJet told to pay ₹62,000 to Srinagar couple for denied boarding | Today’s news
SpiceJet has been ordered to refund the tickets and pay compensation totaling more than ₹62,000 to a Srinagar couple who were allegedly denied boarding at the Delhi airport after their Hajj pilgrimage last year.
They were reportedly forced to spend the night at the Delhi airport and book alternative flights to Srinagar the next morning.
According to an Indian Express report, SpiceJet denied the couple boarding despite having valid boarding passes, completing check-in formalities and reaching the boarding gate on time.
The Srinagar Consumer Commission on 9 June 2026 ordered the airline to refund the ticket price of ₹10,078 and pay ₹52,000 as compensation to the spouses.
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What happened:
Ghulam Nabi Fafoo filed a complaint against SpiceJet, alleging that on July 8, 2024, he and his wife Raja Begum were denied boarding on a flight from Delhi to Srinagar.
According to the complaint, the couple was returning to Srinagar after completing the Hajj pilgrimage. Their son had booked tickets for a SpiceJet flight scheduled to depart from Delhi at 6:45 PM and arrive in Srinagar at 8:20 PM.
Fafoo and his wife claimed to have arrived at the airport well before the flight’s departure and cleared the check-in formalities. They even checked in their luggage with the airline and got their boarding passes before proceeding to the boarding gate.
However, when boarding began and they approached the gate with valid boarding passes, they were reportedly not allowed to board the plane, IE reported.
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Fafoo said in his complaint that when he sought an explanation for the denial, the airline staff gave no reason why he and his wife were denied boarding.
He also claimed that “blue-eyed people” were accommodated in their place on the plane, IE reported. Fafoo said their boarding passes were canceled by the airline.
Their checked baggage was also reportedly returned after several hours, resulting in them missing all available flights to Srinagar that day and being forced to spend the night in Delhi.
This added considerable discomfort and mental distress to the couple, according to the complaint.
They then had to book an IndiGo flight to Srinagar for the next morning at a significantly higher price ₹13,450, which means additional expenses.
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What did the consumer commission say?
The Consumer Commission, which consists of the president Dr. Farah Deeba and member Shabnum Munshi, held SpiceJet responsible for the inconvenience and financial loss suffered.
The court ruled in favor of the complainant and awarded compensation along with a refund of the original ticket price.
“The opposite party (SpiceJet) is not only responsible for deficient service but also for adopting unfair business practices towards the complainant,” Indian Express quoted the commission’s order as saying.
“It is also acknowledged that as a result of such conduct by the opposite party, the complainant has suffered immense mental pain, agony, harassment and financial loss.”
