Flight full, man’s seat changed from business class to economy, Saudi airline to pay Rs 1.15 lakh

4 min readNew DelhiJun 15, 2026 12:30 PM IST

The commission observed that despite having booked business class tickets, the man’s seat was downgraded, due to which he and his wife could not travel together. (AI-generated image)

The Hyderabad district consumer disputes redressal commission has directed a Saudi Arabian airline (Saudia) to pay Rs 1 lakh compensation and Rs 15,000 costs to a man whose confirmed business-class seat on a flight from Jeddah to Rome was downgraded to economy class at the last minute.

A bench of president B Uma Venkata Subba Lakshmi and members C Lakshmi Prasanna and V Janardhan Reddy observed that the denial or downgrade of a confirmed seat in the business class amounts to a deficiency in service.

“In the absence of material evidence, we are constrained to believe the statement of the complainant that he was deprived of the comfort and was separated from his wife during the journey from Jeddah to Rome,” the bench held in its order dated May 21.

Downgraded from business class

The complaint was filed by a Secunderabad-based man, who had booked business-class tickets in July 2024 for himself, his wife and friends for a holiday trip to Italy.

The group was scheduled to travel from Hyderabad to Jeddah and then to Rome.

While all bookings were confirmed in business class, the complainant discovered at Jeddah airport that his seat on the Jeddah-Rome leg had been downgraded to economy class because the flight was full.

The complainant alleged that he not only suffered monetary loss but also was separated from his wife and the entire group on the flight.

In its defence, the airline argued that the complainant completed the journey without protest and therefore, he was estopped from raising the same at a belated stage.

It contended that it had already offered Rs 42,156 as compensation.

It was further contended that the complainant’s grievance concerns the alleged loss and injury, i.e., not being able to sit with his wife and his group during the flight from Jeddah to Rome, and the same is not an actionable claim.

Deficiency in service

The commission observed that the airline failed to show that the promised compensation had actually been paid. It remarked that despite having booked business class tickets, the complainant’s seat was downgraded, due to which the complainant and his wife could not travel together and had to sit separately.

The commission held that the complainant was deprived of the comfort for which consideration was paid. “The conduct of the opposite party No. 1 in downgrading the ticket constituted deficiency in service and unfair trade practice,” the commission noted.

It observed that the airlines did not submit any material evidence to show that the complainant was given the comfort of business class.

“In the absence of material evidence, we are constrained to believe the statement of the complainant that he was deprived of the comfort and was separated from his wife during the journey from Jeddah to Rome,” the commission held.

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The commission ordered Saudia Airlines to pay Rs 1 lakh as compensation for the hardship suffered by the passenger, along with Rs 15,000 towards costs.

Payout to woman who was denied boarding

In another case, the district consumer disputes redressal commission, Perambalur, directed Air India Express to pay Rs 3 lakh in compensation to a young woman after finding that she was wrongly denied boarding on a flight to Kuwait despite holding a valid visa.

A bench comprising president D Jawahar and members P Thilaka and M Muthukumaran observed that the denial of a boarding pass was not only an infringement of her right as a consumer but also an infringement of her fundamental right to travel.

“Complainant and her family members were put to intense mental agony due to deficiencies in service committed by the opposite party and this Commission deem it fit to award a sum of Rs 3,00,000 as compensation for mental agony, considering the enormity of the deficiency in service and the resultant intense mental trauma underwent by her and her family members,” the commission noted in its order dated May 21.

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Ashish Shaji is a Senior Sub-Editor at The Indian Express, where he specializes in legal journalism. Combining a formal education in law with years of editorial experience, Ashish provides authoritative coverage and nuanced analysis of court developments and landmark judicial decisions for a national audience.

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