Kingfisher Airlines Ltd has been asked by a consumer court to pay over Rs. 45,000 to a family for failing to refund their cancelled tickets even after seven years.

New Delhi District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, presided by C.K. Chaturvedi, asked the company to pay Rs. 45,792 to Delhi-based family comprising Sandeep Sharma, Navdeep Sharma, Monika Sharma and Poonam Sharma.

The forum’s bench, also comprising its member S.R. Chaudhary, passed the order while noting that even after seven years, the company had not returned fare of Rs. 20,792 for the cancelled tickets.

“...the complainant has been put to such a harassment and litigation that he is till waiting for return of such small sum of Rs. 20,792. The Opposite Party (airlines company) on day one should have offered the fare in court, rather contesting the matter like a suit.”

“The complainants were certainly put to inconveniences, harassment by cancellation of flight and to manage again thereafter,” it said.

While noting that flight was cancelled due to bad weather, the forum said it was strange that a lame excuse was being taken to deny refund of fare to complainants.

“We hold Opposite Party (OP) guilty of deficiency in not efficiently returning the fare of Rs. 20,792 in time. We direct OP to return this amount...and also pay the compensation of Rs. 25,000 for deficiency in delay, harassment, mental agony and litigation expenses for the last 7 years,” the forum said.

The complainant had told the forum that they had booked tickets from Delhi to Srinagar on December 7, 2007, in one of company’s flight.

However, it later got cancelled but fare money wasn’t refunded despite an assurance.

The company, however, contended before the forum that it is a new entity after merger with Deccan Aviation Ltd into it, and thus its system has no records of earlier reservations.