Consumer Forum Orders Airline to Pay Fine for Lost Baggage

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad District Consumer Forum has directed Indigo Airlines and Qatar Airways to pay Rs 3.12 lakh to the Telangana Electricity Regulatory Authority chairman T. Sriranga Rao for misplacing his luggage during his travel from San Francisco to Hyderabad.

The three-member commission, headed by Vakkanti Narasimha Rao and comprising D. Sreedevi and V. Janardhan Reddy, also directed the airlines to pay compensation for mental agony caused to the complainant.

Sriranga Rao complained to the forum that the airlines had said the checked-in baggage would be delivered at the destination point, but it was found missing. He sought Rs 5 lakh as compensation.

The airlines argued that the complaint can be filed before the consumer forum for deficiency of the services, but not for lost baggage. The forum observed that negligence, insensitivity and passivity displayed by airline staff towards the passenger could not be condoned.

Further, the forum said that the custodian of goods could not be allowed exemption from accountability towards the valuables which are missing. Hence, the airlines were bound to pay compensation as the staff were negligent in providing proper service and they cannot be absolved by claiming limited liability.