Telangana Top Cop Sues Singapore Airlines Over Dysfunctional Recliner Seats, Receives ₹2 Lakh in Compensation

Hyderabad: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-III in Hyderabad ordered Singapore Airlines to pay ₹2 lakh to DGP Ravi Gupta as compensation.

Telangana DGP Ravi Gupta and his wife Anjali Gupta travelled from Hyderabad to Australia via Singapore on May 23, 2023. In the complaint, they alleged that the recliner seats in the business (Z) class, which were supposed to automatically recline through electronic controls, were found to be non-functioning due to the failure of electronic controls throughout the journey from Hyderabad to Singapore.

Having faced inconvenience during the travel, the DGP stated they had to stay awake the entire journey, despite paying Rs.66,750 each for business (Z) class tickets, which is Rs.48,750 more than the economy class fare of Rs.18,000.

Ravi Gupta and Anjali Gupta alleged that they were treated as economy class passengers, except for extra legroom.

Singapore Airlines offered 10,000 KrisFlyer miles per person, an offer which was denied by the complainants.

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-III in Hyderabad ordered Singapore Airlines to return the amount of Rs.48,750 to each complainant, totalling Rs.97,500, along with interest at 12% from May 23, 2023 until realization. Additionally, the airline was instructed to pay compensation of Rs.1 lakh towards mental agony and physical suffering, as well as Rs.10,000 towards the costs of the complaint.