The Madras High Court has ordered Air India to pay ₹35,000 as compensation to a passenger after a strand of hair was found in the meal served on a flight from Colombo to Chennai.
The incident involved passenger Sundara Paripooranam, who was served food during the Air India flight. Upon discovering hair in her meal, she lodged a complaint with the cabin crew. Subsequently, she reportedly suffered health issues after consuming part of the contaminated food and later filed a complaint with airport authorities in Chennai, but no action was taken.
Following this, she filed a case in the Additional Consumer Court in Chennai, which initially ordered Air India to pay ₹1 lakh as compensation. Air India later appealed this decision in the Madras High Court.
During the hearing before Justice P.B. Balaji, Air India admitted that hair was indeed found in the food served on the flight. The airline expressed regret over the unhygienic meal and argued that the food had been prepared by Ambassador Pallava Hotel in Chennai, suggesting that the hotel should also be made a party to the case and that the airline alone should not be held responsible.
Rejecting this argument, Justice Balaji observed that Air India had been negligent and was attempting to shift responsibility to the catering company. The court ruled that the airline was accountable for the service provided to its passengers and ordered Air India to pay ₹35,000 to Sundara Paripooranam as compensation.
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