Breach of Contract Term Paper

Question 1: Can X recover damages from Susah Travel Agency?

1.1 Summary of key events

Beginning

* X, a divorced businessman, has a daughter who is graduating on July 3 at University of London and hopes to attend her convocation.

* Convocation is scheduled to take place at 3pm on July 3

* X also made plans to meet Y (a prominent tycoon in London) to seal an important business contract for his company.

Subsequently

* X visited Susah Travel Agency (STA) to make the purchase of a 1st class air-ticket from Singapore to London on SIA’s flight SQ 322 – Flight leaves Singapore on July 2 at 11.20pm and arrives London on July 3 at 5am

* X told ticketing staff that he is going to London to attend his daughter’s convocation and that it is extremely crucial that he secures a seat on this particular flight.

* X also mentioned that as a busy businessman, he also had “important matters” to attend to earlier that day prior to attending his daughter’s convocation.

* STA repeatedly assured X that he had a confirmed 1st class seat on SQ 322 and X paid STA $9000 for the return air-ticket which had to be collected at the airport.

* STA also provided X with the mobile number of Sa-Lar – owner of STA.

On the day of the flight

* X arrived at the airport and was told by the SIA counter staff that his name was not on the passenger list.

* X telephoned Sa-Lar and realized that STA had made a mistake and failed to include X’s name in the computer booking system.

* It so happened that the flight was full and X could not get on any other seats on the flight.

* However, Sa-Lar managed to procure an economy class seat on BA’s flight to London that departs and arrives at the same time as SQ 322.

* X, however, rejected the offer as he refused to travel coach.

* Upon hearing this, Sa-Lar managed to find another flight on Aerofloat Russian Airlines that had vacant 1st class seats. But for this flight, X had to make a...