“Courteous treatment will make a customer a walking advertisement. ” 

Consumer satisfaction should be kept at the top because one unsatisfied consumer can be the biggest unwanted and unpaid advertisement. In an instant case, a Bengaluru-based doctor in a long battle of 8 years has been awarded Rs. 10 lahks as compensation over service deficiency and unprofessional behaviour. 

The matter came to light, when Dr KS Kishore, 54, was forced to spend a night at Frankfurt airport’s common area after missing his connecting flight to Bengaluru owing to the delay caused by the carrier. It is pertinent to note that the petitioner was returning to Bengaluru on June 27, 2014. His flight from Orlando to Frankfurt in which he was flying business class was delayed by a few hours. Touching down in the German city, the petitioner rushed to board his connecting flight, also Lufthansa, to Bengaluru but was denied boarding as merely 15 minutes were left for takeoff.

The defendant claimed that the airline staff in Frankfurt had rebooked him on another flight and provided him with refreshments and hotel vouchers. Although after listening to both sides the court dismissed the contentions and claims given by the defendant as they were baseless and ordered the airlines to pay a compensation of Rs 10 lakh. The money must be paid within 45 days from the order or it will attract a 12% interest.