Airline Baggage Compensation in India After a Lost Bag
One of my clients recently had a case which I am explaining below and if you are stuck in such similar situation, here is what to do.
Note: Due to attorney-client privilege, I cannot disclose complete case details or identify the actual parties involved. However, I am sharing the essential facts and legal approach so that if you find yourself in a similar situation, you can understand the available solutions and legal remedies.
TL;DR: When checked baggage is misdelivered or delayed, the airline is answerable for a deficiency in service, and you're not obliged to accept a travel voucher in place of money. Receipted expenses caused by the delay can be claimed, along with compensation for inconvenience, through the consumer commission. Escalate to the airline's grievance channel and AirSewa first, but remember the complaint deadline is two years from the date the cause of action arose.
The bag did not come off the belt at Kochi. Rohit Malhotra had flown in from Pune on a Tuesday morning in early March 2025 for a week of client meetings, and by the time the carousel stopped, everyone else had walked off with their luggage. His was gone.
He filed a Property Irregularity Report at the airline counter that same night. Two days later he was told what had happened: another passenger had picked up his bag by mistake. He asked the airline for that passenger's phone number, twice. He was told no, customer information cannot be shared.
So he spent the week buying the basics. Shirts, toiletries, a charger, the small things you assume will be in a bag that is sitting in a hotel room. He kept every bill. By the time he flew home he had spent roughly ₹15,000, and the bag still had not reached him. It arrived nearly two weeks after he had landed in Kochi, delivered to his flat in Pune, by which point the trip was long over.
Air India offered a ₹5,
Air India offered a ₹5,000 travel voucher for the inconvenience. He asked for the money instead and was told a voucher was the standard remedy for mishandled baggage. It is still sitting unopened in his inbox, with an expiry date.
That was in April. Since then he