Airlines fined 5 lakh for losing bags on int’l flight

Chennai: A consumer court in Chennai has held Emirates Airlines and United Airlines liable for deficiency in service over the loss of a passenger’s checked-in baggage during an international journey, directing the carriers to each pay 2.5 lakh as compensation, and 5,000 towards litigation costs.

District consumer disputes redressal commission, Chennai (north), passed the order on Nov 24 on a complaint filed by Dr Mayilvahanan Natarajan, an orthopaedic surgeon, who travelled from Chennai to Asheville in the US in May 2023. He had booked tickets from Chennai to Dubai and onward to Chicago on Emirates Airlines, with a connecting flight from Chicago to Asheville on United Airlines.