British Airways left PhD scholar stranded at London airport; ordered to pay Rs 1.66L

NEW DELHI: A consumer commission in Bengaluru has held British Airways guilty of deficiency in service after it refused to issue a boarding pass to a passenger travelling from London to Bengaluru, leaving her stranded at Heathrow Airport after an earlier flight cancellation and rerouting.The Bengaluru I Additional District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission directed the airline to refund the original booking amount of Rs 1,38,945, pay Rs 25,000 as compensation and Rs 2,000 towards litigation costs, in its order dated October 8, 2026.

British Airways boarding pass refusal dispute

According to the commission order, the complainant, Bhadrapriya Sivakumar, was pursuing a PhD in neurobiology at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. Her father, Sivakumar N, filed the complaint on her behalf as her general power of attorney holder.The complainant had booked a round-trip international ticket through EaseMyTrip on January 17, 2024, for Rs 1,38,945. The itinerary included flights operated by WestJet and British Airways between Saskatoon in Canada and Bengaluru, with the onward journey scheduled for August 1, 2024, and the return journey for August 29, 2024.The complainant alleged that when she reached Saskatoon airport on August 1, she was informed that her WestJet flight to Toronto had been cancelled without prior notice.

WestJet arranged an alternative itinerary via Calgary to London so that she could reach Heathrow in time for her connecting British Airways flight to Bengaluru. She was told to collect her boarding pass at London airport.However, when she reached Heathrow, British Airways refused to issue her a boarding pass for the Bengaluru-bound flight, citing booking issues. She alleged that she had reached the airport about two hours and 45 minutes before departure, but the airline departed without her.

She said no alternative flight, accommodation or food was arranged, and she struggled to resolve confusion over her luggage and how to access it without a UK visa.The complainant eventually contacted a friend in Canada for financial help and bought another ticket on Etihad Airways for Rs 1,65,926 to reach Bengaluru on August 4. She also booked a separate Etihad ticket for her return to Canada at the same cost. British Airways later offered an apology and a £50 e-voucher, which she rejected.EaseMyTrip argued that it had only facilitated the booking and that flight cancellations and changes were the airlines’ responsibility. British Airways, meanwhile, claimed that the passenger had failed to check in for its Toronto-to-London flight and was marked as a “no show”, resulting in the cancellation of her onward and return reservations. WestJet did not appear before the commission and was placed ex parte.

Commission's finding on British Airways

The bench comprising president Syed Anser Kaleem and members Jyothi N and Renukadevi Deshpande found British Airways guilty of deficiency in service, while dismissing the complaint against EaseMyTrip and WestJet.The commission noted that British Airways had claimed the passenger failed to turn up at the check-in counter for its flight from Toronto to London. However, it found that the airline had not produced documents to support this claim.The commission observed that the complainant had stated that she reached Heathrow in time for her connecting flight after being rerouted through Calgary and London. It said the airline could not establish that she had failed to report for the flight.“In absence of credible evidence the contention of OP holds no water,” the commission said.It also noted that the airline was responsible for providing proper service to a passenger attempting to board a connecting flight in a foreign country.

The commission said the passenger was left facing difficulties over food, accommodation, immigration and her travel arrangements.The bench observed that British Airways had not acted diligently in providing service and had left the passenger at London airport. It noted that the airline's offer of a £50 voucher and apology did not compensate for the losses she had incurred in booking replacement flights.The commission held that the complainant had established deficiency in service against British Airways.

However, it found no deficiency on the part of EaseMyTrip, which had facilitated the booking, or WestJet, which had arranged the alternative itinerary after the initial cancellation.

Final order

The commission, in its October 8, 2026, order, allowed the complaint against British Airways and dismissed it against EaseMyTrip and WestJet. It directed British Airways to:

The total amount payable under the order is Rs 1,65,945. If British Airways fails to refund the booking amount within 30 days, it will have to pay interest at 6.5 percent per annum on Rs 1,38,945 from the date of the complaint until realisation.