Holding Air India deficient in services following allegations of baggage loss, the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum here has directed the airline to pay ₹50,000 as compensation to a passenger.
The directions came on an appeal moved by the airline against the orders of a district forum that had directed it to pay the complainant ₹1 lakh.
“It stands established that the loss of hand baggage was due to negligence on the part of the airline. We do not find any illegality in the order of the district forum wherein deficiency in action and gross negligence on the part of the airline is established,” stated the forum.
Complainant Manish Sharma had alleged that soon after landing at the Delhi airport he realised that one of his hand baggage was missing. It was then alleged that despite approaching several authorities the bag remained untraced.
The consumer panel also took note of submissions, including CCTV footage, which showed an employee of a private agency engaged by the airline lifting the luggage from near the baggage claim area. “The [airline] has tried to confuse the issue by contending that in the footage there are four-five people who seemed to have conspired to commit the theft. However, no evidence is there to substantiate the claim,” the consumer forum stated.
Noting that the baggage had not been returned to the complainant, the Bench said: “Once the hand baggage was picked up by an employee of the agency whose services were engaged by the airline for loading and unloading, then prima facie the fault lies with the airline in not returning the luggage to the complainant.”
