Indian airlines to pay passengers for “mental agony” of flight delays

Here’s some good news for travelers: an Indian consumer court ruled that all airlines in India must compensate passengers for sudden cancellations or long delays that cause “mental agony and harassment.” (Delays from bad weather are exempt.) The ruling came after passengers complained and demonstrated.

Although the article from the AP doesn’t detail what counts as “agony,” I can certainly think of a few situations: missing a connecting flight, missing a connecting flight and then your $2500 cruise, missing a connecting flight and subsequently your sister’s wedding — you get the point.

I’m glad to see that that someone is setting a precedence, even if it’s overseas. Anyone up for a protest at JFK?

Thanks to jyang825 on Flickr for the photo of the Bangalore airport.