NCDRC allows AI plea, reduces compensation to woman flier

Allowing the plea of state-owned Air India, the apex consumer commission has reduced the compensation and medical expenses amount to Rs 1.04 lakh to be paid to an elderly woman flier who was injured after falling from a wheelchair provided to her by the airlines staff.
National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) directed the airlines to pay Rs 1,04,672 to 76-year-old Maria Easter D'abreu Noronha while allowing the carrier's appeal filed against the state consumer commission's order.
The woman suffered the mishap when she flying with her husband from Mumbai to Goa in March 2009.
The NCDRC set aside the 2012 order of the Goa State Commission enhancing the amount to be paid to Maria to over Rs three lakh and upheld a district forum's decision which had awarded Rs 1,04,672 to her to be paid by the airlines.

The State Commission had directed the airlines to pay over Rs three lakh to Maria as medical expenses considering the nature of injury and her age.
The NCDRC bench presided by Justice K S Chaudhari held that the State Commission has committed an error in awarding the amount of medical expenses as no bills of the hospital matching the claimed amount were produced as proof.

Maria had approached the district forum for compensation saying on March 14, 2009, she travelled by an Air India flight from Mumbai to Goa where she was provided a wheelchair by the airline authorities.
While she was being wheeled by an attendant, one arm rest of the wheelchair gave away and Maria fell down due to which she suffered hip joint fracture, the complaint said.

She was examined by a doctor at the Panaji airport and was rushed to a hospital.
Maria and her husband had approached the district forum seeking a compensation of Rs four lakh and medical expenses of over Rs one lakh from the airlines. Dissatisfied by the compensation awarded by the district forum, the couple had moved the State Commission which had enhanced the amount.