IndiGo Airlines has allegedly offered compensation of Rs 2,450 to a passenger after the airline lost his bag, containing items worth Rs 45,000 and important documents, including his PAN card and driving license.
The incident, which took place about a month ago, came to light on Saturday after Ravi Handa, a friend of the affected passenger, Monik Sharma, shared the story on social media.
Sharma, who hails from Assam, lost his luggage while travelling on an IndiGo flight from Kolkata to Guwahati. The bag was checked in at Kolkata airport, but never arrived in Guwahati.
Handa, who has more than 42,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter), took to the platform to voice his frustration. He wrote, "IndiGo lost my friend Monik Sharma's baggage on a domestic flight (Kolkata-Guwahati). The bag had stuff worth Rs 45k in it along with important papers like Driving License, PAN, Aadhar, etc. It was checked in at Kolkata airport. It never reached Guwahati. How can it vanish mid-air? Was the plane leaking bags?"
Handa further criticised IndiGo's compensation offer, saying, "Around a month later – IndiGo has come back offering 'compensation' of Rs 2,450. It is ridiculous. Just the bag would cost more than that. Apparently, there is a rule that the airline is liable for a maximum of Rs 350/kg in case they lose the bag. That is just adding insult to injury."
Handa also urged the airline to take immediate action to resolve the issue, stating, "Rs 2,450 isn't going to fix it."
Every day you learn how the system can mess you up in a new way. @IndiGo6E lost my friend’s @nik1220’s baggage on a domestic flight (Kolkata-Guwahati).
The bag had stuff worth 45k in it along with important papers like Driving License, PAN, Aadhar, etc.
It was checked in at… pic.twitter.com/L54ZUtOpHr— Ravi Handa (@ravihanda) August 24, 2024
The post sparked a discussion among social media users. One user commented, "It's better to try and locate the bag in lost and found (both airports). It's worth the effort for the documents hassle your friend will have to go through. It's painful though. Unless someone else has mistakenly taken his luggage (also a possibility)."
It’s better to try and locate bag in lost and found (both airports). It’s worth the effort for the documents hassle your friend will have to go through. It’s painful though. Unless someone else has mistakenly took his luggage (also a possibility).
— Accessibility for All (@a11y_for_all) August 24, 2024
Another user remarked, "Basic rule of flying, only check in whatever you can afford to never see again. If not, carry it in the cabin."
Basic rule of flying, only check in whatever you can afford to never seen again. If not, carry it in the cabin.
— Nipun Parikh (@nipunmaster) August 24, 2024
A third user questioned, "But how does luggage even vanish? Even if it's left at the origin airport or misplaced at the destination, it should be identifiable via the baggage tags. This is a very serious issue which airlines should resolve."
But how does luggage even vanish? Even if it's left at the origin airport or misplaced at destination, it should be identifiable via the baggage tags. This is a very serious issue which airlines should resolve.
— Prat (@pratyushukla) August 25, 2024
In a follow-up comment, Handa mentioned that a representative from IndiGo's social media team had contacted him and promised to look into the matter.
Got a call from Kritika from @IndiGo6E ‘s social media team. They will look into it further.
Hoping @nik1220 gets some resolution.
Thank you for the call.— Ravi Handa (@ravihanda) August 24, 2024
The tweet has since gone viral, garnering over three lakh views. However, many social media users criticised the passenger for carrying valuables in check-in luggage.
Handa also pointed out that the incident occurred in July, during a period when a faulty update from CrowdStrike caused a global IT outage, leading to flight delays and cancellations. Major airlines in India, including Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Akasa, reported disruptions, and handwritten boarding passes were issued on that day.
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