A consumer court in India has ordered Lufthansa to compensate a student who was not informed of transit visa requirements in Germany.
The 25-year old complainant, Maharshi Yadav, purchased a Lufthansa ticket from
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai (BOM) to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) via Munich Airport (MUC).
Yadav, who was pursuing higher studies in Canada, was denied boarding when he showed up at Mumbai Airport on April 13, 2022. Airline check-in agents found that Yadav did not possess a Schengen visa, which is required for Indian citizens transiting in Germany.
Yadav was eventually forced to purchase an Emirates ticket from Mumbai to Toronto, with a stopover in Dubai International Airport (DXB), which did not require a transit visa for Indian passport holders.
In his complaint filed with the Gandhinagar District Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission against the German flag carrier, Yadav said that Lufthansa engaged in unfair trade practices as he was not informed about any visa requirements.
The commission ruled in favor of the student and directed Lufthansa to pay up to €2,000 for the incident.
“The complainant is entitled to recover the amount of Rs1,00,000 [€2,000] under the head of mental pain and suffering from the opponent within 30 days as stated above,” the commission was quoted by the Indian Express.
Broken down, the amount ordered to be given to Yadav is €729.29 (RS 67,612) for the tickets and around €1,078 for emotional distress.
The airline was also ordered by the commission to pay 8% interest on the refund amount from the complaint filing date of March 2023. The compensation has to be paid within 30 days of receiving the certified copy of the judgment.
This is not the first time Indian students have been denied boarding by Lufthansa.
In April 2022, a London-bound student was denied boarding at Bengaluru Airport (BLR) for the absence of a required Schengen visa to transit in Europe.