Don't let your baggage fly away from you!

New Delhi: During year-end holiday rush, airline passengers routinely face difficulty arising out of missing baggage. And in a double whammy of sorts, domestic low-cost carriers in India shy away from paying standard international compensation for (checked) baggage loss, and in case of loss of cabin baggage, the passenger gets, well, zilch!
While the global standards according to Geneva Convention is $20 per Kg (approximately Rs 800), carriers like SpiceJet, Indigo and GoAir pay only Rs 200 per kg (up to a maximum of 15 Kg) irrespective of claimed value of your baggage. On the other hand, Simplifly Deccan pays comparatively a better Rs 450 per kg for lost baggage.
But what’s shocking is that most domestic carriers shrug off responsibility in case the baggage is lost. While international airlines give up to $400 (Rs 16,000) for cabin luggage, Indian carriers pay nothing citing their rules which puts the onus on securing the cabin baggage’s safety on the passenger.
Even in case of damage to a passenger’s luggage, there is no parity. While Simplifly Deccan and SpiceJet get your damaged luggage repaired, GoAir states that the airline ‘assumes no responsibility or liability for damage to your luggage.’ GoAir refused to reply to an e-mail query sent by ET.
25/12/07 Vishakha Talreja & Harsimran Singh/Economic Times

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Categories: General Aviation Dec 2007