Airline fined 75,000 for delayed return of passenger’s baggage

New Delhi: Holding an international airline liable for deficiency in service, a Delhi consumer court recently directed it to pay Rs 75,000 for misplacing a passenger's check-in baggage and returning it after several days."...It is clear that the bag of the complainant, which was rather a check-in baggage, was misplaced and was handed over to the complainant in Delhi at her given address on June 7, 2016. We find that this is a deficiency of service on part of the opposite party (Etihad Airways), as it caused great inconvenience to the complainant due to delay in getting her clothes, etc," stated the coram comprising president Sangeeta Dhingra Sehgal and member JP Agrawal of Delhi State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.Asha Devi, the complainant, had alleged that valuable items, including Rs 30 lakh in cash and 30 grams of gold, had also been misplaced. However, the commission found no merit in this aspect and stated that Devi had failed to declare the high-value items, including money and jewellery, at the airport.Devi had purchased an Etihad Airways ticket to travel from Sweden to Delhi on June 1, with layovers in Berlin and Abu Dhabi. During her stop at the Berlin airport, her flight was upgraded to business class. On boarding from the airport, her bag was relocated to a different area due to a lack of space in the overhead compartment. After reaching Delhi, she was unable to find her bag.Following several attempts, she submitted a "Lost Cabin Baggage" application and was given a carbon copy of the form. Nearly a week later, her bag wrapped in plastic was returned to her. She claimed when she unwrapped the bag, her money, a gold chain and locket, a wristwatch, and a mobile phone among other items were allegedly missing. Etihad Airways personnel were contacted by her to resolve the issue. However, she alleged that no action was taken.Etihad Airways submitted before the court that Devi's allegations were fabricated. The airline argued that Devi should have approached "Air Berlin" whose crew had allegedly relocated her bag.