PIA asked to pay Rs 22K for misplacing air passenger's luggage

NEW DELHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been ordered to pay Rs 22,000 in compensation to a city resident by a Delhi district consumer forum for misplacing his luggage containing several crucial documents for over a month in 2008.

The airlines eventually had traced the misplaced luggage and return it to the passenger, who had arrived here from Dubai, only after a month.

"We are of the view that the complainant has suffered due to deficiency in service, at the end of PIA. Keeping in view the anxiety, mental agony for 30 days for the entire family's strain, PIA is directed to pay to the complainant Rs 15,000 for the mental agony and harassment suffered by him and Rs 7,000 as litigation cost within 30 days," a bench of district consumer forum headed by president C K Chaturvedi said.

The forum's order came on a complaint filed by the grandfather of the man, who had travelled with the PIA.

In his complaint to the forum, P N Gupta said that his grandson, Dr Ravi Bhushan Gupta, had availed the services of Pakistan International Airlines to travel from Dubai to Delhi on June 21, 2008 after completing his medical course there.

But, when Ravi reached Indira Gandhi International Airport here, his luggage, comprising his clothes, gifts for friends and family members, medical books and other crucial documents, was found missing.