No lounge access at foreign airport as debit card ‘blocked’, Kerala family wins Rs 1.2 lakh

6 min readNew DelhiJul 29, 2026 03:17 PM IST While travelling from Kuwait to Kochi with his family, the complainant's debit card allegedly failed while they tried to use the lounge facilities at the international airport. (AI-generated image)A Kerala consumer body has held Federal Bank guilty of deficiency in service after it allegedly blocked a customer’s international debit card without informing him, leaving him, his wife and young children unable to use lounge facilities at Kuwait airport despite having sufficient money in their account. The forum directed the bank to pay them Rs 1.25 lakh as compensation and costs. President D B Binu, along with members V Ramachandran and Sreevidhia T N of the Ernakulam District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission observed that the man, one Paul, a