Air passenger gets compensation for lost suitcase

AHMEDABAD, MAY 10. A Mumbai passenger, who lost her suitcase in transit eight years ago, has received cash compensation of Rs. 74,781, including 12 per cent interest from Alitalia, Italian airlines, following an order of consumer disputes redressal commission, Maharashtra.

The Consumer Education and Research Society (CERS), Ahmedabad, took the matter to the commission after Ms. Pratibha Sheth, failed to get compensation for loss of valuables, medicines and warm clothing from the bag in April 1992 in transit and also for mental torture and agony she and her daughter, Purvi Sheth, who accompanied her, suffered.

Ms. Sheth's journey started on April 3, 1992 and ended on July 21 same year at Mumbai - with their four large suitcases including the lost bag tampered and slashed and torn. The missing suitcases had been restored to them earlier in Chicago after two and a half weeks, a CERS release said.

The State commission rejected the contention of Alitalia that claims made by the complainants were exaggerated and not maintainable and said ``there is every reason to believe that the bag restored to the passengers was pilfered and some of the contents removed.'' It averred that as per a Supreme Court judgment in 1996, it had confined to the liability of the transporter as mentioned in the airlines contract rules.

Ms. Sheth and her daughter had noted the loss of bag after landing in London and complained with authorities on April 6, 1992. A case was filed on November 11, 1993 and the State commission order was delivered on November 29, 1997. The airlines sent the cheque on April 25, 2000, the release added.

- PTI

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