German air carrier Lufthansa ended up paying Rs 10,000 to a city-based businessman who was refused non-vegetarian food on a Frankfurt-bound flight on October 23, 2007.

Fifty-nine-year-old Ronald Pinto, who was on the flight with his wife and 10-month-old grandson, had asked for non-veg food but the airhostess told them that they didn't have non-veg food on flight. "She served us vegetarian meals instead. When we asked her to take them away, she got upset. A few minutes later she came back with two non-veg meals and placed it on our table in a very rude manner," Pinto said. The couple, who frequently use the airlines, tried to ignore the incident but when it was time for the second meal, the airhostess served Pinto just one non-veg meal saying that she did not have another for his wife.

Pinto had almost forgotten about the incident but during his trip back home from the US on November 8, 2007, he met the same airhostess on flight. "She again told me that a non-veg meal was not available," said Pinto. Peeved, he asked for her name but she refused to divulge any details. "Instead of listening to my complaint, her superior brought me a bottle of wine. Her behaviour was shocking," he said. When Pinto, who runs an interior design factory in Kanakapura, reported the matter to the airline, they refused to entertain his complaint. "The sent me a 5,000-miles frequent flyer offer instead."

He then decided to drag them to court. "The change of defence on the part of the airline is very much revealed in its reply on April 22, 2008 to the legal notice from the complainant," it said.

The Bangalore Urban District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum said the airline should have divulged the name of the airhostess.

The court pulled up the airline for refusing to help Pinto and asked them to pay him Rs 10,000 as compensation.

MK Madhusoodan/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication