Woman obliged to pay man Dhs 299,000 for tickets and hotel stay booked by him in UAE

Abu Dhabi Family, Civil, and Administrative Cases Court ordered a woman to pay Dhs299,722 to a colleague who had arranged flight tickets and hotel bookings for her and her family through his connections with airlines and travel agencies, after promising him to pay later but failed to do so even after returning.

The plaintiff stated that the woman travelled and returned without settling the payment for the business-class tickets and hotel reservations, totaling Dhs333,025 so he was forced to pay the amount himself after receiving a discount from the travel agency.

During the trial, the judge questioned the plaintiff, who affirmed that he booked the tickets and accommodations for the appellee and her family, totaling Dhs299,722 but despite repeated requests, she did not pay, forcing him to cover the cost from his own account. He added that there was a witness to support his claim.

The appellee denied the allegations, stating that the plaintiff, who was responsible for booking tickets at work, offered the tickets and reservations as a gift, which she accepted, arguing that he only demanded payment after a significant delay, indicating it was a gift. The witness, an employee of the travel agency, testified under oath that the plaintiff requested bookings for a female employee and her family, totaling approximately Dhs290,000 but it was discovered the request was personal, not related to a government entity, causing issues with the company’s management.

The plaintiff was asked to pay, and he later settled the amount after receiving a 30% discount, with receipts as proof.

The witness also affirmed hearing the plaintiff’s phone conversation with the appellee demanding payment. After reviewing the evidence, including SMSs between the parties (which the appellee did not deny) and the witness testimony, the court ruled in favour of the plaintiff and ordered the woman to pay him Dhs299,722.