This is to bring to your notice of the wrongful cancellation of my confirmed tickets which has put me in a great deal of personal, financial, emotional, physical and mental distress.
Please bring this to the notice of your higher authorities immediately.
BOOKING DETAILS:
Booking Reference: HMDG5B
Electronic Ticket Number: 176 2117306443
Passenger Name: RAMANATHAN/NURANI S MR (Canadian Citizen)
Passport Details: Canadian Passport BA-374114.
Original Itinerary:
1. 4 NOV 2009 - EK 242 – YYZ to DXB
2. 26 Nov 2009 – EK 542 – DXB to MAA
3. 11 Jan 2010 – EK 543 – MAA to DXB
4. 11 Jan 2010 – EK 241 – DXB to YYZ
PROBLEM / ISSUE:
Sectors (3) & (4) above were wrongly cancelled by Emirates citing reason “NO SHOW” for EK 546. I was booked to travel by EK 542 and NOT EK 546; please see the iternary above - sector (2).
I append below the details provided by airport Emirates staff:
DCS/NOSHO EK0546 DXB 26NOV RAMANTHAN/N LQQEKSY / 26NOV09 / 121001Z
EK543/ 11 JAN CNLD AFTER NOSHOW ON INBOUND CONNEX FQEEKDF / 26NOV09 / 121231Z
EK241/ 11 JAN CNLD AFTER NOSHOW ON INBOUND CONNEX FQEEKDF / 26NOV09 / 121231Z
PASSENGER RESPONSE:
a. I had travelled on flight EK 542 from DXB as scheduled on 26 Nov 2009 and arrived at MAA during the early hours of 27 Nov 2009.
b. My Canadian passport has exit / entry stamps to prove that the sector was utilized.
c. Emirates could verify this claim by examining the passenger list for the flight EK 542 on 26 Nov 2009.
d. The “NO SHOW” claim by Emirates was negligent and erroneous, as it relates to a totally different flight EK 546.
DETAILS:
i. On 11 Jan 2010, when I reached the Chennai International Airport to board EK 543 from MAA to DXB, I was shocked to be informed by the Airport Emirates staff that my tickets (3) and (4) above have been “CANCELLED”, citing reason “NO SHOW” on EK 546 on 26 Nov 2009, while I was booked to travel on EK 542 on 26 Nov 09.
ii. This unforeseen development put me in a really awkward situation, as it was imperative that I reached Canada on 11 Jan 2010 to fulfill my official commitments to my business clients.
iii. Being a Canadian Citizen and visiting India as a tourist, I was placed in a very difficult situation of having nowhere to go till Emirates sorted out the problem.
iv. I am an independent financial and IT consultant to major financial institutions in Canada, and was scheduled to start a new project on 12 Jan 2010 in Toronto with one of the biggest banks in Canada.
v. Apart from being inconvenienced financially due to extra expenditures incurred to extend my stay in Chennai, I have potentially lost a major contract, which as per agreed contract terms the client is not obliged to honour if the project is not initiated on the agreed date, and the client has indicated possible cancellation of the contract worth CAD 54, 000.00.
vi. I have suffered mental, physical and emotional distress due to the erratic, negligent and wrongful action by Emirates Airlines.
vii. Moreover, I was informed by Emirates staff at the airport that there is no possibility of me being accommodated on any of the flights up to the 15 Jan 2010, as all the flights are fully booked. This placed me in a very delicate and precarious situation indeed.
viii. The Emirates airport staff agreed that there was an error on the part of Emirates with respect to this wrongful cancellation, and that the booking could only be reinstated by one of the supervisors at Emirates Bombay office who work only from 9 AM to 5 PM!
ix. The airport Emirates staff informed me that there were seats available in the business class, and so I requested the Emirates airport staff if there was any possibility of my seat being upgraded to a higher class; they informed me that this decision could only be taken by the supervisors at Emirates office in Bombay, who would be available only after 9 AM.
x. The Emirates airport staff provided me the contact number and advised me that I would have to contact the Emirates Bombay office after 9 AM and to request them to consider my case and make alternate travel arrangements.
xi. After waiting fruitlessly for about 3 hours (00:30 hours to 03:30 hours on 11 Jan 2010) till the check-in was closed for the flight to DXB, I had to haul my luggage to find a transport to leave the airport and find an accommodation, till alternative travel arrangements could be worked out with Emirates Airlines.
NEW ITINERARY:
a. I contacted Emirates Bombay after 9 AM on 11 Jan 2010, and narrated the whole episode to a customer service personnel, who agreed that there was some error in the part of Emirates Airlines and would try and make alternative travel arrangements either on 11 Jan 2010 or 12 Jan 2010, based on seat availability on the flights in both the onward sectors.
b. Accordingly, alternate arrangements were made as follows:
a. 12 Jan 2010, EK 547, 21:40 hours MAA to DXB.
b. 13 Jan 2010, EK 241, 9:20 hours DXB to YYZ.
c. Consequently, I have had to stay over at Chennai for two extra days (11 Jan 2010 & 12 Jan 2010) at my personal expense, for the fault and gross negligence of Emirates Airlines.
SUGGESTIONS:
1. There seems to be a major problem in the system in wrongly identifying “NO SHOWS” and cancelling onward confirmed sectors.
2. Prior to automatic cancellation of confirmed reservations by the system for whatever reason, the respective passengers should be contacted by Emirates service representatives via telephone or email, to avoid such errors in future.
CONCLUSION & CLAIMS:
I submit the following compensation claims for actual financial loss, mental, physical and emotional agony suffered by me due to the negligent, wrongful and erratic action by Emirates Airlines:
· Additional expenses at Chennai for stay, food and travel CAD 800.00 (CAD 400/- per day for two days).
· Letter from Emirates owning responsibility for the error – this is for me to provide to my business clients and explain my inability to initiate their contract on 12 Jan 2010, per agreed contract terms. I may require a similar letter addressed directly to my business clients, if they were to request for one.
· If the business client refuses to accept the above mentioned explanation and cancels the contract with my company, then the loss of income of CAD 54, 000 has to be compensated by Emirates Airlines. In fact, my company stands to lose much more financially, as this could also mean that my company may not be considered for future contracts by the said clients.
I would really appreciate an early response to my complaint from Emirates Airlines. I do hope that Emirates Airlines will live up to your name and reputation. I have the original copies of all the correspondences cited above and could send scanned versions of the same for your investigations, if so required.
If your legal team wishes to discuss the case further, I will provide the contact details of my legal counsel here in Canada.
If you need any further information, please send me a message or call me on 905-501-0381 in Canada.
A very distressed frequent flying passenger,
Nurani S Ramanathan
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