MakeMyTrip, Go First fined ₹19,000 after flight changes ruin family's Thailand trip

A District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Chandigarh imposed a penalty of ₹19,000 on MakeMyTrip and Go First for failing to send a family to their scheduled journey to Thailand last year when its flights were canceled and rescheduled. The complaint, filed by a Chandigarh resident, detailed how his family’s planned holiday in April 2023 was affected. He had booked flights through MakeMyTrip for Go First’s service from New Delhi to Phuket. The family had also reserved a stay in Krabi through MakeMyTrip, while accommodation in Phuket was booked separately. Weeks ahead of the scheduled date, Go First canceled the flight due to "operational reasons." The airline offered a later flight, leaving 3 hours and 40 minutes from the original time, but this also was canceled. A rescheduled flight was offered for April 2, 2023, which made the family miss their hotel stay in Krabi and lose part of their prepaid booking in Phuket. The complainant put the blame of financial loss and inconvenience on MakeMyTrip as well as Go First. According to him, the flight change caused them an extra cost due to the extra stay in Krabi and lost one night in Phuket, which he could not make use of since the flights had been delayed. MakeMyTrip contended that it acted merely as an intermediary and could not be blamed for the actions of airlines in terms of cancellation or disruption in flights. According to the user agreement, it had no right over cancellations or refunds, the company maintained. Go First did not present itself before the court, and the case went ex-parte against the airline. The Commission held both MakeMyTrip and Go First liable, stating that under the Consumer Protection Rules, 2020, e-commerce sites like MakeMyTrip are obliged to ensure services are provided to consumers. It also observed that Go First's failure to appear before the commission and its consistent cancellation of flights constituted a "deficiency in service." The companies were directed to refund ₹8,900, which includes ₹6,384 for the unused hotel stay in Phuket and ₹2,516 for the extended stay in Krabi. They are also asked to pay ₹10,000 as compensation for the mental agony of the complainant and litigation costs. Published by **Voxya** as an initiative to help consumers in resolving consumer complaints.