Singapore Airlines Faces Legal Action Over Faulty Business-Class Seats

Singapore Airlines has been ordered to pay a couple from India $2,400 in compensation after they experienced issues with the automatic recline feature on their business-class seats during a flight from Hyderabad to Australia that transited through Singapore. The incident occurred on a five-hour journey, and despite paying a substantial amount for their seats, the couple found themselves unable to recline their seats automatically, leading to discomfort during the trip.

Following the incident, the couple complained to the airline and was offered frequent flyer miles as compensation. However, they rejected this offer and decided to take legal action against Singapore Airlines, accusing them of treating them poorly and failing to provide the expected level of service for business-class passengers. The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Telangana ruled in favor of the couple and ordered Singapore Airlines to pay them compensation for the mental and physical distress caused by the faulty seats.

In response to the incident, Singapore Airlines acknowledged that there was an issue with the automatic recline function on some of its business-class seats. They confirmed that only the manual recline feature was operational during the flight in question. While expressing regret for any inconvenience caused by this mechanical problem, Singapore Airlines explained that challenges existed in reseating customers due to a full flight. Despite this issue, however, crew members were able to assist passengers by manually reclining their seats when necessary.

The incident highlights concerns about customer service levels on long-haul flights and has raised questions about how airlines should handle issues with faulty equipment while still maintaining high standards of service for passengers.