I had purchased a ticket online on Saturday, 23rd December 2017 around 7:00 PM through makemytrip.com for my wife to travel back to Riyadh from Hyderabad through Gulf Air. The travel date & time was for the same day i.e. 23rd December 2017 with departure time as 10:00 PM. Simultaneously, I also did the Web Check-in and acquired an E-Boarding pass since my wife did not have any luggage to check-in or even the hand carry luggage except her shoulder bag. It was an emergency situation where my wife had to travel urgently and reach Riyadh the next morning on 24th December 2017 before 8:00 AM and report to her work place.

I reached the departure terminal of the airport at 8:45 PM and bought the entry ticket (100/- INR ) for the visitors waiting area that accompany with the passengers, meanwhile, my wife already entered inside the airport through the passenger entrance gate after passing through the security check. She went and stood in the queue for the emigration check since she already had an E-Boarding pass. She reached the emigration counter around 9:00 PM where she was asked to show the printed hard copy of the boarding pass and was advised to go & collect it from the Gulf Air counter. When my wife reached the Gulf Air counter, the duty manager of the ground handling staff (Mujeeb) denied issuing the printed hard copy saying that the counter is already closed and that he cannot allow her to board the flight until she shows the hard copy of the boarding pass. She requested again saying that she does not have any luggage to check-in and she also had the visa information copy ready with her for which there will be no time consumption at all. All the requests and pleads went in vain since he was adamant upon not issuing the hard copy of the boarding pass. He also said that he cannot issue the boarding pass to her because four or five other passengers who were late & who did not even have an E-Boarding pass would demand for the same. He went rude and harsh when my wife questioned him about the rule of denying an E-boarding pass. Finally my wife contacted me over the phone and informed of the whole episode at around 9:15 PM. I somehow managed to find out that I can get a print out from the Airport Transit Hotel.
I quickly used the PC of the hotel and managed to get a print of the boarding pass from my Email and gave it to my wife around 9:20 PM which is also the actual boarding time mentioned on the boarding pass. This time my wife was still denied by the same duty manager saying that the printed boarding pass of the normal paper is not accepted and the one which is given at the airlines counter is only accepted. There was a female emigration officer who was witnessing all this and recommended to the duty manager to help out my wife. He then asked my wife to follow her to the counter. When my wife reached there, he kept her waiting for a while and then very rudely asked my wife to leave the airport because he will not issue the boarding pass to her at all even upon the recommendation of the emigration officer. He then asked one of his staff to register & exit my wife out of the airport

Finally my wife was not able to board that flight.

All the security officers standing at the main entrance of passenger's entrance and the emigration officers at the emigration counter are witness to the whole of the episode right from the beginning till the end. CCTV footage clips can also prove our innocence.

I checked the IATA rules that anyone possessing BCBP (Bar Coded Boarding Pass) through web check-in and particularly not having any check-in luggage can save time and board the flight directly without reporting to the airlines counter.

I humbly request the consumer forum to take a stern action against the duty manager who ill treated my wife and caused so much agony and inconvenience and provide justice to us.