Two airline firms asked to pay for consumer's baggage loss
Chandrika Soni, a Gorai resident was traveling from Orlando to Mumbai on April 28, 2016, and for the same, she had purchased a ticket worth Rs 56,596.
The Suburban Mumbai District's consumer dispute redressal forum found two air firms, British Airways as well as the American Airlines, guilty of providing faulty services to one of their consumers who had lost her baggage in the travel. It directed the companies to pay back towards the consumer's loss. Apart from the compensation towards the loss of her property, the forum has also asked them to pay an amount towards the complainant's mental agony as well as her litigation charges.
Chandrika Soni, a Gorai resident was traveling from Orlando to Mumbai on April 28, 2016, and for the same, she had purchased a ticket worth Rs 56,596. It was not a direct flight and so initially she boarded American Airlines, which took her to London and from London, she boarded British Airways to reach Mumbai. While boarding her flight from America, she had checked in along with four luggage bags, however, when she reached Mumbai, one of her bag which had gifts which she had received, few clothes and some of her jewelry, went missing.
When she inquired for the same at Mumbai airport, they could not find the bag, rather after continuous follow-up, she was informed that they were unable to trace the bag and hence offered her a deal of Rs 35,000 for the loss. When she refused the offer, she was asked for the receipts of the gift items which were present in the bags which had gone missing in order to find out about the right worth of the bag.
The Forum, while deciding on the aspect of receipts, held that is impossible for a person of Indian origin to ask for the receipt of the gift which he or she receives and thus the demand of the airlines seeking for the receipts of the gifts was void.
Meanwhile, the forum had issued notices to the two firms asking them to respond on the complaint which was filed against them by Soni, but none of them responded to the same.
Thus on the basis of the evidence filed on record, the forum directed the two firms to pay Rs 70,000 towards the loss of the baggage, Rs 20,000 towards the complainant's mental agony and Rs 10,000 towards her litigation charges.
A HEAVY PRCE
The forum directed the 2 firms to pay Rs 70,000 towards the loss of baggage & Rs 20,000 towards the complainant’s mental agony and Rs 10,000 towards her litigation charges