Qatar Airways, travel portal ordered to pay Rs 3L after denying patient a ticket refund

NEW DELHI: The Hyderabad consumer commission has directed Qatar Airways and online travel agency EaseMyTrip to refund Rs 1.86 lakh to a passenger who cancelled his international trip after being diagnosed with brain tumour.

The commission also ordered them to pay Rs 1.2 lakh as compensation and litigation costs, finding that they had failed to properly consider his request for a medical waiver.The commission found that the passenger had informed the companies about his medical emergency and submitted supporting documents, but was still denied a refund. It directed both companies to pay the amount with 12 percent annual interest.

Background of the case

As per the commission order, Raghuram Yamarthi and his wife had booked flight tickets from Hyderabad to Atlanta and back through EaseMyTrip on August 2, 2024.

They paid Rs 1,86,168 for the tickets, with their outbound journey scheduled for December 2, 2024.On November 1, 2024, Yamarthi suffered a seizure. Medical investigations revealed a brain tumour, which was later found to be malignant. He underwent brain surgery on November 12 and was advised to undergo radiation treatment for six weeks.On November 11, Yamarthi informed Qatar Airways about the medical emergency and requested cancellation of the tickets and a full refund.

The airline told him to route the request through EaseMyTrip because the tickets had been booked through the agency.He emailed the agency on November 15 and submitted his medical documents on November 17. However, he was later informed that the airline had rejected the medical waiver request, citing a delay in its submission.Yamarthi and his family continued to follow up with both companies. He alleged that they kept passing responsibility to each other and failed to provide a clear response on the refund.

He also claimed that EaseMyTrip had offered to refund only around Rs 95,000 if he cancelled without a medical waiver.The passenger eventually issued a legal notice seeking a refund of Rs 1,86,168, compensation of Rs 1 lakh and litigation costs. He later approached the consumer commission.However, the Qatar Airways argued that the tickets had been booked through a third party agency and that EaseMyTrip was responsible for processing the refund.

The airline also said it had offered the option of keeping the tickets open for future travel.

Commission's finding on the airline and travel agent

The bench comprising President M Ramgopal Reddy and members J Shyamala and D Sreedevi examined all the medical records, email exchanges and the companies' responses.The commission noted that the passenger had submitted medical documents showing that he could not travel because of his serious health condition. It also considered the airline's published policy, which allowed passengers suffering from a terminal illness before departure to seek a refund by submitting a valid medical certificate.The commission observed that the passenger had informed the companies about his condition and submitted the required documents. It said the medical waiver request should have been properly considered.“The complainant No.1 had produced medical records showing that the request for cancellation was not made casually or merely for personal convenience, the medical documents discloses the serious medical circumstances which prevented the complainant from understanding the proposed international journey,” the commission noted.The commission also rejected the attempt to shift responsibility between the airline and the travel agent. It noted that EaseMyTrip had forwarded the medical documents to Qatar Airways and that the airline was the actual carrier providing the travel service.“Once the complainant No.1 had specifically invoked the medical waiver mechanism and submitted the supporting medical evidence to the opposite parties were required to consider the medical documents, and refund of the amount,” the bench further noted.The commission held that the companies had failed to properly address the refund request despite the serious medical circumstances. It found deficiency in service and said the passenger should not have been forced to repeatedly approach the companies to recover the money.“The consumer should not have been compelled to repeatedly approach to airline and travel agent, particularly when the grievance arose from a serious medical situation,” the bench added.It held that the passenger was entitled to a refund, compensation for mental agony and inconvenience, and the costs of the complaint.

Final order

In its September 29, 2026 order, the Hyderabad District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-III partly allowed the complaint and directed Qatar Airways and EaseMyTrip, jointly and severally, to: