Mysuru Consumer Commission Orders Travel Agency to Refund Rs 1.11 Lakh to Couple

The Mysuru District Consumer Commission recently ordered a travel agency to refund Rs 1.11 lakh to a couple whose Uttarakhand trip was cancelled in 2025 after their flight was cancelled amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan.

President-in-charge H N Shrinidhi and member M K Lalitha held that the complainant was entitled to a full refund of the amount paid for the tour, as he had not received any service from the opposite party.

“Even though the cancellation of the programme was due to an unforeseen contingency, the opposite party cannot deny its liability for a full refund to the complainant, as a refund towards airfare has already been received by the opposite party,” the order dated September 3 read.

The commission also awarded the couple Rs 20,000 as compensation for emotional distress and disruption, along with Rs 5,000 towards litigation expenses.

Couple seeks refund after flight cancellation

The complainant stated that he had booked a six-day Uttarakhand tour from May 8 to 13, 2025, for which he paid Rs 1,10,461. The booking included flight tickets for their onward and return journeys. The complainant claimed that they were later informed that their flight had been cancelled due to the war-like conditions between India and Pakistan. They then requested either a rescheduled tour or a complete refund.

The travel company proposed a refund of Rs 66,000 from the Rs 1.10 lakh paid by the complainant. The complainant said he later learned that the airline had cancelled his ticket and refunded the amount to the travel company, which did not return the money to him.

Commission flags inconsistent responses

Reviewing the email exchanges between the complainant and the travel company, the commission noted that the company’s responses were inconsistent, with the company at times offering refunds and at other times proposing alternative dates.

“After reviewing how the entire transaction was handled by the opposite party, the commission has no choice but to classify the opposite party’s actions as an unfair trade practice,” the commission said.

It also observed that it was the responsibility of the opposite party to collect the respective amounts from the service providers and remit them to the complainants without objection.