Emirates Airline Asked To Pay Rs 6.94 Lakh To Passenger For 'Deceptive' Ad Of Business Class

The passengers on the Emirates flight accused the airline of not providing the amenities in the business class flight as promised in the promotional materials of the carrier.

Image for representation

Dubai-based airline Emirates had to repay NZ$ 13,555 (around Rs 6.94 lakh) to one of the passengers because of "misleading and deceptive" advertising. One of the flyers accused the airline of not meeting the expectations during a business class flight by the airline, as per a report from a New Zealand media organisation (Stuff). The court ordered the airline to pay the fine after the couple filed a case against the Dubai-based carrier for not delivering the services as promised in the promotional material.

The series of incidents started when a man purchased a business-class ticket to London for himself and his wife on Emirates airline. Upon boarding, the man discovered that the cabin product was not similar to the products used in the promotional materials by the airline.

The couple pointed out a few missing things on the plane during the journey. One of the essential facilities being the lie-flat seats in the business class. It is to be noted that the problem arose because the Boeing 777-300 on this route was not equipped with the interiors as the other aircraft of the airlines.

Furthermore, the passenger pointed out that the aircraft was also missing the IFE system, which was identified as the older version allegedly malfunctioning during the flight. They also added that the business class of the plane was also missing a mini-bar onboard. To get these amenities missing during the first part of the trip, the couple booked first-class tickets during the second part of their trip.

According to the airline, the terms and conditions of the tickets permit changes in the type of aircraft based on the operational needs in effect at the time of the flight. However, the airline's argument failed to convince the court, who believed the aircraft allocation to be a frequent event rather than an unusual one. The facts presented to the court concluded that the judicial body is making a decision in favour of the passengers.

Stuff's report quotes Disputes Tribunal referee Laura Mueller saying, “The Fair Trading Act 1986 prohibits misleading and deceptive conduct in trade. The advertising of a service that Emirates knew would unlikely be delivered is misleading and deceptive.”