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Anyone who is a frequent traveler has probably had their share of ups and downs when flying. But just how far would you go to make an airline pay for a minor inconvenience?

One Mr. GRK Reddy, an Indian businessmen, felt that he was so damaged by Singapore Airlines’ sudden decision to downgrade him from business to economy class back in 2011 that he decided to take legal action against the airline, demanding compensation of approximately US$83,000.

Four years later, Mr Reddy has finally been awarded his compensation, but it’s slightly less than the amount he originally requested…

According to Indian press, Mr. Reddy originally booked a business class ticket for a flight from Chennai to Singapore via Singapore Airlines departing on April 19, 2011.

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Upon arriving late to check in on the specified date, Mr. Reddy was told by the assistant who served him at the counter that business class had been overbooked and that only seats in economy were available at that time.

Although the terms and conditions of Singapore Airline bookings state that in situations where overbooking occurs, passengers may not be able to travel in their booked class as desired, the airline tried to make amends by offering to discount the difference in ticket prices with a cash voucher, plus an extra S$150 (around US$120) voucher to use in-flight.

Mr. Reddy, however, refused attempts by Singapore Airlines to rectify the situation, and instead sought legal action, demanding compensation for damages, loss of image, and mental anguish endured from being downgraded to economy class for the duration of the 2.5-hour flight – to the tune of S$104,000 (approximately US$83,000).

As could have probably been expected, Singapore Airlines did not respond favorably to the request, which prompted Mr. Reddy to seek help from the Consumer Protection Council and send the airlines another request, this time for S$41,000 (close to US$33,000) in compensation.

On Monday this week, more than four years since the incident occurred, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum of South Chennai finally ruled that Singapore Airlines would be required to pay Mr. Reddy a sum of 35,000 rupees (less than US$600) within six weeks for not giving him adequate notice of the class change in advance. It appears that the airline has already paid the amount ordered, and the matter is now settled.

I guess you have to admire Mr. Reddy for his persistence, but it’s hard for us here at RocketNews24 to imagine that four years of legal battles could be any less mentally taxing for the businessman than spending a couple of hours in economy class with the rest of us.

Source: TODAY
Top image: Singapore Airlines
Insert images: Singapore Airlines