Airline asked to pay compensation for damaged baggage

The District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum here has directed private airline GoAir to pay compensation to a passenger for the damage caused to his baggage.

Marazban Bharucha, resident of Andheri here, had travelled by a GoAir flight from Ahmedabad to Mumbai in July 2019.

When he collected his bag from the conveyor belt, he found its front compartment was "ripped and torn", he said in his complaint.

He brought the matter to the notice of the airline's representatives at the airport, who asked him to send his complaint through email, he said.

When he did not receive any response to the email, he moved the consumer forum.

In its reply before the forum, GoAir contended that after the scrutiny of the bag, they found it had only "minor wear and tear".

Hence he was not eligible for any compensation, but as a goodwill gesture it had offered Bharucha a compensation of Rs 1,000, the airline said.

In its order last week, the consumer forum held that the complainant had proved that there was a "deficiency in service" and "unfair trade practice" on the part of the airline.

It directed GoAir to pay Bharucha Rs 7,500 on account of damage, Rs 5,000 towards "mental agony" and Rs 3,000 as litigation costs.