Surat: Surat Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (Additional) has directed SpiceJet to pay Rs 20,000 in compensation to a city resident whose 8-year-old son suffered burn injuries after a cup of hot noodles spilled on him during a Delhi-Surat flight in 2021.The complainant, the boy’s father, stated that he was travelling with his family on SpiceJet flight SG-8382 from Delhi to Surat on Nov 20, 2021. During the flight, he ordered noodles for his son. According to the complaint, when a cabin crew member placed the noodles on the tray table in front of the child, who was seated by the window, the father warned her that the tray appeared faulty and could break.The crew member, however, insisted that the tray was secure. Within minutes, the tray gave way, causing the hot noodles to spill onto the boy’s leg and leaving him with severe burn injuries, the complaint stated.The complainant alleged that when he sought a first-aid kit, the cabin crew was unable to provide one immediately, forcing him to apply another ointment that he had with him until the flight landed in Surat. The child was rushed to a hospital after landing and underwent surgery four days later, with the family claiming to have incurred medical expenses of Rs 96,259.The father later emailed SpiceJet photographs of the broken tray, the PNR details and other documents. In response, the airline claimed the noodles were mistakenly served to a young passenger, maintained that first aid was provided on board, apologised for the inconvenience and offered travel vouchers worth Rs 500 per passenger for a future journey.SpiceJet did not respond to TOI’s email for response till the time of publication.Before the commission, SpiceJet argued that the noodles were allowed to cool for a few minutes before being served and claimed that the child himself reached out to collect them from the cabin crew, causing the spill. The airline denied any negligence.After examining the evidence, the consumer forum held that there was a clear deficiency in service on the part of the airline and observed that the complainant incurred medical expenses because of the incident. However, as no evidence supporting the treatment expenses was submitted, the commission sanctioned Rs 15,000 as a lump sum towards treatment and Rs 5,000 as compensation for physical and mental suffering and litigation costs.
