Emirates fined Rs 40,000 over passenger's missing bag

HYDERABAD: Aviation group Emirates was ordered by the court to pay an amount of Rs 30,000 as compensation for the loss of baggage of a passenger. The airline was also asked to pay Rs 10,000 towards the cost of the complaint.

Syed Adnan Hussain, the complainant, who was travelling from Dubai to Hyderabad claimed that one of his five baggages was not delivered to the Hyderabad Airport. The complainant reported to officials and the staff about the same. Mail was also sent to Emirates group headquarters. The complainant said that the airlines had informed that the baggage in question was carried away by another passenger, but no action to recover the bag was undertaken by the airlines. Hence, the complainant, who was put to trouble for almost seven months, filed a complaint seeking justice.

Emirates Airlines, defending itself, said that the authorities had immediately taken cognizance of the complaint and traced the missing bag. They further claimed that since the contact details of the passenger, who had taken away the baggage in question, was unavailable with the officials, they had requested the complainant to register a police complaint regarding the same. They further claimed that the complainant had demanded the airlines to register a police complaint, instead. Therefore, they sought dismissal of the case claiming that the complaint is misconceived, baseless and devoid.

After hearing both parties, the court said that though the complainant demanding the airlines to register a police complaint regarding the missing bag was inappropriate, the inconvenience caused to the passenger cannot be ignored. Therefore, the court ordered the airlines to compensate for the missing bag and for the mental agony caused to the complainant.