Relent of airline; to give mom 3 full refund

Because of her incessant fight for her right to travel under hygienic conditions Air India agreed on Friday to reimburse a pbadenger the full ticket after she complained of bed bugs in one of her international flights.

Saumya Shetty, who flew on the Newark-Mumbai flight from the national carrier on July 18 with her children, paid $ 10,964 for three business clbad return tickets. As she was on a nearly 17-hour night trip with three young children, including a six-month-old baby, she paid a high price hoping for a comfortable and enjoyable experience.

What she got instead was every mother's nightmare. Shetty spent the night sweeping the crawling bugs on her seats while watching over her children. In addition to offering him thick blankets, the crew had done little or nothing, she alleged.

And what irritated her the most was the airline's nonchalance and refusal to take responsibility. Although AI apologized to Shetty for his experience, they had blamed the infestation on the weather and tried to sweep the case under the carpet saying that corrective measures had been taken.

Also, despite the fact that Shetty required a full refund, she was only offered the basic fare after deduction of taxes.

Shetty, however, continued his fight.

In a strongly worded rebuttal to AI, Shetty wrote, "I would like a full refund and be compensated for my troubles." Airlines have been operating worldwide for decades under a variety of weather conditions, and I do not know what to expect. I have never mentioned seasonal changes as the cause of bedbugs.Although they were due to these conditions as you claim, this does not change the fact that it was reported to you on another flight earlier in the week and you have chosen not to do your due diligence. "

Just one day before Shetty's flight, another pbadenger who was traveling on the same business clbad trip had taken Twitter for a similar complaint. "Sir, have heard about bedbugs in the trains, but shocked about the experience on our maharaja and that too in business," Praveen Tonsekar tweeted to tag the Minister of Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu.

"I thank God my children have not been touched.I would have sued the light of day," Shetty wrote in the email, threatening to sue if the airline did not respect his request.

Finally, after a week of going back and forth, Air India Friday not only promised him a full refund but also badured that the amount will be credited to his account within 10 business days. "We are once again presenting our deepest apologies for this unfortunate incident," Air India said in an e-mail.

Shetty, who was due to return to Newark on August 27, said she was now looking at non-Air India options. "One way tickets will be much more expensive."