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Air - France - v. - Zani20210424-12-Dyfww9
Air - France - v. - Zani20210424-12-Dyfww9
Air - France - v. - Zani20210424-12-Dyfww9
NOTICE
Sirs/Mesdames :
Please take notice that the Court, First Division, issued a Resolution
dated March 13, 2019 which reads as follows:
"G.R. No. 199767 (Air France v. Charles Auguste Raymond M.
Zani). — This is a petition for review on certiorari 1 assailing the Decision 2
dated November 24, 2011 of the Court of Appeals (CA) in CA-G.R. CV No.
94429. The CA affirmed the Decision 3 dated February 16, 2009 of Branch 58
of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Makati City, awarding moral and
exemplary damages, and attorney's fees in favor of respondent Charles
Auguste Raymond M. Zani due to petitioner Air France's breach of the
contract of carriage between them.
On September 13, 1995, petitioner and respondent executed a credit
agreement 4 allowing respondent to purchase airline tickets on credit and at
a fixed price from petitioner. Their agreement contained the following
payment terms:
A. Tickets purchased from the 1st to the 15th of the month
is [sic] due and payable to Air France Manila at the end of the month.
B. Tickets purchased from the 16th of the month to end of
the month is [sic] due and payable to Air France Manila on the 15th of
the following month. 5
Respondent purchased several airline tickets from petitioner under this
agreement. Despite the payment terms, however, by May 17, 2000,
respondent had an outstanding balance of P1,738,180.00, prompting
petitioner to send a demand letter 6 to respondent. Attached to petitioner's
demand letter is respondent's statement of account 7 indicating the latter's
purchases and payments to petitioner. On July 14, 2000, petitioner, through
its counsel, wrote respondent informing him that he will be refused carriage
on any of petitioner's network or flights until respondent settles his
outstanding balance. 8
Due to respondent's failure to pay, petitioner filed in the RTC a
collection case against respondent entitled Air France/GSR Air Afrique v.
Charles Zani Consultants docketed as Civil Case No. 00-1424. The RTC ruled
in favor of petitioner, which the CA affirmed in its Decision dated September
29, 2008. We affirmed the RTC and the CA through our Minute Resolution
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dated March 18, 2009. 9
Meanwhile, on July 11, 2000, respondent purchased and booked flights
through ANSCOR Travel Corporation, a travel agency. Respondent's trip was
from July 12-24, 2000; covered different destinations; and involved several
airlines, including petitioner. The travel agency issued confirmed Conjunction
Tickets No. 6183315948394/95 with the following itinerary: 10 CAIHTE
The RTC also denied the parties' respective motions for reconsideration
via its Order 20 dated June 11, 2009.
The CA, in the assailed Decision dated November 24, 2011, affirmed
the RTC Decision in toto. 21 DETACa
Court:
If she knows, witness may answer.
Q: How would the passenger know?
Witness:
A: If the passenger has to inquire upon purchase of the ticket, we
would readily be able to show the passenger at the ticket counter
this book. We would be able to present them the specific
paragraph. 36
On her cross-examination, the witness further testified:
Court:
Please read back.
Stenographer:
Q: With regard to the plane ticket issued by Air France and likewise
confirmed by Air France and the ticket having been fully paid
from that passenger, is not a policy of Air France that it has to
honor the plane ticket issued by Air France to the passenger?
A: If Air France issues the ticket, Air France would honor the ticket
except that upon check-in, this should be verified if the
passenger has the right documents.
Q: And assuming that the passenger has the right documents, you
would honor the ticket?
xxx xxx xxx
A: x x x [I]f the ticket is issued by Air France[,] we would honor the
ticket but it also depends if the passenger paid, in the form of
payment of ticket because if it is a ticket issued against credit
line or a credit account, sometimes there are credit line [sic] that
gave a fifteen (15)-day period to pay for the entire ticket,
sometimes thirty (30)-day period, sometimes they issued the
ticket, say, May 1 or May 2 but then by the time he flies in July,
the client has not paid, for then he has a debt in Air France. In
that case, the airline, Air France[,] would have an option not to
board if the credit line, the balance was not paid for. 37
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As explained by its witness, petitioner would dishonor a ticket and
disallow a passenger from boarding a flight if the ticket for the particular
flight is not yet paid. In this case, respondent's unpaid obligation to
petitioner did not include the payment for the July 16, 2000 flight. It refers to
previous purchases respondent made pursuant to his credit arrangement
with petitioner.
We are aware that Item (l), Article VII (Refusal and Limitation on
Carriage) of the General Conditions of Carriage, Passenger, and Baggage
stipulates that petitioner may also refuse to carry a passenger when "the
Passenger has previously committed one of the acts or omissions referred to
above." 38 The notice petitioner gave to respondent, however, did not cite
this provision as petitioner's basis for its refusal to carry respondent. As
petitioner did not indicate that its refusal to carry respondent is in relation to
his previous acts of not paying for his ticket or not settling his credit
arrangement, petitioner cannot now claim that respondent's unsettled credit
arrangement for his previous purchase of tickets is the basis of petitioner's
refusal to carry him on board.
Indeed, the ambiguities in the contract, being one of adhesion, should
be construed against the party that caused its preparation 39 — in this case,
petitioner.
As petitioner's exercise of its right to refuse to carry respondent was
unjustified, We find that petitioner breached its contract of carriage with
respondent.
II
We, however, disagree with the CA's award of moral and exemplary
damages, as well as attorney's fees, in favor of respondent.
Under Article 2220 of the Civil Code, moral damages may be awarded
in breaches of contract when the defendant acted fraudulently or in bad
faith. In Cathay Pacific Airways, Ltd. v. Vazquez , 40 we explained this rule as
applied to breaches of contract of carriage:
Moral damages predicated upon a breach of contract of
carriage may only be recoverable in instances where the
carrier is guilty of fraud or bad faith or where the mishap
resulted in the death of a passenger. Where in breaching the
contract of carriage the airline is not shown to have acted
fraudulently or in bad faith, liability for damages is limited to the
natural and probable consequences of the breach of the obligation
which the parties had foreseen or could have reasonably foreseen. In
such a case the liability does not include moral and exemplary
damages. 41 (Citations omitted and emphasis supplied.)
Also, We have held that in situations where the negligence of the
carrier is so gross and reckless as to virtually amount to bad faith, moral
damages may also be awarded to the passenger. 42 Gross negligence
implies a want or absence of or failure to exercise slight care or diligence, or
the entire absence of care. It evinces a thoughtless disregard of
consequences without exerting any effort to avoid them. 43
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In sustaining the award of moral damages, the CA held that petitioner
was guilty of gross negligence amounting to bad faith when it arbitrarily
cancelled respondent's confirmed flights hours before the schedule. We do
not agree with the CA's findings. cSEDTC
SO ORDERED."
Footnotes
1. Rollo , pp. 21-54.
2. Id. at 60-75; penned by Presiding Justice Andres B. Reyes, Jr. (now a Member of
the Court) and concurred in by Associate Justices Mariflor Punzalan-Castillo
and Franchito N. Diamante.
3. Id. at 150-155; rendered by Presiding Judge Eugene C. Paras.
4. Id. at 169-169-A.
5. Id. at 169.
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6. Id. at 170.
7. Id. at 171.
8. Id. at 126.
9. Rollo , pp. 27, 35-36; Charles Zani Consultants v. Air France/GSR Air Afrique, G.R.
No. 185856.
10. Id. at 61, 99.
11. Id. at 61-62.
28. Cathay Pacific Airways v. Reyes , G.R. No. 185891, June 26, 2013, 699 SCRA
725, 737, citing Crisostomo v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 138334, August 25,
2003, 409 SCRA 528, 533.
29. See Lufthanza German Airlines v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 83612, November
24, 1994, 238 SCRA 290, 300.
30. Cathay Pacific Airways, Ltd. v. Vazquez , G.R. No. 150843, March 14, 2003, 399
SCRA 207, 219, citing Black's Law Dictionary 171 (5th ed.).
31. G.R. No. 123238, September 22, 2008, 566 SCRA 124.
32. Id. at 132-133, citing Japan Airlines v. Asuncion , G.R. No. 161730, January 28,
2005, 449 SCRA 544, 548.
33. G.R. No. 142305, December 10, 2003, 417 SCRA 474.
35. See Philippine Airlines, Inc. v. Ramos , G.R No. 92740, March 23, 1992, 207
SCRA 461, 471.
36. Transcript of Stenographic Notes (TSN) dated March 20, 2006, pp. 10-21.
39. Savellano v. Northwest Airlines, G.R. No. 151783, July 8, 2003, 405 SCRA 416,
424.
42. Singson v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 119995, November 18, 1997, 282 SCRA
149, 160. Citation omitted.
43. BPI Investment Corporation v. D.G. Carreon Commercial Corp., G.R. No.
126524, November 29, 2001, 371 SCRA 58, 69-70.
44. G.R. No. 88561, April 20, 1990, 184 SCRA 476.
45. Id. at 481-482.