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NEW DELHI: A passenger’s complaint that his family, including an 11-month-old baby, was not served adequate food on a 15-hour flight has led the Punjab State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission to hold Singapore Airlines liable for deficiency in service, according to a report by Bar and Bench. In January 2023, the district commission ordered Singapore Airlines and the travel agent to refund the ticket fare with 7% annual interest. It also awarded ₹25,000 as compensation and ₹11,000 towards litigation expenses.
Because passengers have not asked for special food, the commission ruled that an airline cannot escape responsibility for providing regular meals simply. It also pointed out that Singapore Airlines had failed to establish that the family was served adequate food during the journey. After Singh raised the issue through an email, the airline initially promised to look into the complaint. However, its subsequent response was that the passengers had not placed a request for vegetarian or special meals. It also asked Singh to take up the matter with his travel agent.
The state commission rejected this argument, holding that passengers need not request special meals to be entitled to ordinary food on a long-duration flight. It further observed that the airline had not furnished sufficient evidence to show that the family had received adequate meals.
The airline challenged the decision before the state commission, maintaining that no special meal request had been made and that food from its regular menu had been served.