Thai airline offers measly 2,000 baht compo for destroying passenger's luggage

[SammyChoi]

Apparently, Warsaw Convention (which is now replaced by Montreal Convention) only applies for international flight. Domestic flight is not covered under the Convention. However, EU and US have legislated with similar effect to Montreal Convention for domestic flight. That is why Rynair is in deep shit on paying compensation for flight delays and baggage claims. Phuket to Bangkok is considered to be a domestic flight and is not covered under Montreal convention. It is only covered under the T&C. The other revenue to recover the damage is to sue the airline via civil claim. Even Australia do not have the similar legislation for domestic flights.

I am very sure most Asian countries do not have similar legal legislations for domestic flights similar to the US and EU, which include Thailand.

I had a similar experience even with Thai Airway about 8 years ago. We were travelling with my family of 5. We checked in 8 bags and 1 was missing on arrival to Australia. First they refused to pay anything claiming we exceeded our baggage allowance which they forgot to calculate on a group of 5 basis. Then they offered 2000Bt. I ignored their offer and took them to court. They wanted to settle before the hearing date with US$20 per kilo. I did not even talk to them. We went to the tribunal with their legal representative and one of their managers. The tribunal ruled within a second, after hearing our story, for the full entitlement under the Montreal Convention as it was the obligation of the airline for international flight. In return, I penalised the airline by not travelling with them for the next 8 years. It is not a good outcome for Thai Airway.

I had another incident in Hong Kong airport travelling with Cathay Pacific. I found my suitcase was damaged when I collected it and reported to Cathay in the airport. They looked at it and found the wheels were broken and told me that it was common in the Hong Kong airport. They gave me a voucher to get a new case and the new bag was 2 times more expansive and better (polycarbonate suitcase). Any baggage claim is better to be reported in the airport before leaving it. Once you left the airport, the airline will make all the excuses not to pay the claim.

Most airlines will try to avoid paying anything for missing or damaged baggage claims whatever reason they can find. However if the passenger is persistent enough and goes thro' the legal channel, they eventually will pay. You do not have to hire a lawyer to go to the court or tribunal for you. Simply file the claim and appear in the court and tell them the incident and the court most likely will rule in flavour of the passenger. Don't forget, it will cost the airline more money to allocate a lawyer and a senior staff to attend the court for their defence. Having saying this, the claim has to be reasonable. I had heard a lot of doggy claims claim for missing item from the suitcase (which they never put it in the bag) and damaged bag which was already damaged before check in.



Love to hear more from other travellers regarding this issue.

Edited May 29, 2016 by SammyChoi

[randy723]

My golf bag was damaged on a flight from SFO to BKK and China airline gave me a full refund of what i purchased the bag for which was $85.00

I always fly with a top rated airlines not a thai airline.

[Don Mega]

My golf bag was damaged on a flight from SFO to BKK and China airline gave me a full refund of what i purchased the bag for which was $85.00

I always fly with a top rated airlines not a thai airline.

Who do you fly with for domestic flights in Thailand ?

[wabothai]

there is always continues travel insurance and is very cheap and there is always facebook.

many videos of baggage handling on u-tube.

[peergin]

Yet,, try shipping in personal items such as a repaired laptop,, showing receipts shipping it OUT of Thailand, receipt for repairs,,, fedex/Thai customs will RAPE you with import duties,, ask me how I know,,,

Yet,, try shipping in personal items such as a repaired laptop,, showing receipts shipping it OUT of Thailand, receipt for repairs,,, fedex/Thai customs will RAPE you with import duties,, ask me how I know,,,

You obviously did not follow the correct procedure but hey, lets not let your ignorance get in the way of a good old thai bashing opportunity.

I once shipped in 15 cartons with bookkeeping statements covering a number of years. There was not a single blank sheet of blank paper. Customs charged me more than B 10,000 because they said it was ........ paper.

[Don Mega]

Yet,, try shipping in personal items such as a repaired laptop,, showing receipts shipping it OUT of Thailand, receipt for repairs,,, fedex/Thai customs will RAPE you with import duties,, ask me how I know,,,

Yet,, try shipping in personal items such as a repaired laptop,, showing receipts shipping it OUT of Thailand, receipt for repairs,,, fedex/Thai customs will RAPE you with import duties,, ask me how I know,,,

You obviously did not follow the correct procedure but hey, lets not let your ignorance get in the way of a good old thai bashing opportunity.

I once shipped in 15 cartons with bookkeeping statements covering a number of years. There was not a single blank sheet of blank paper. Customs charged me more than B 10,000 because they said it was ........ paper.

You imported something and had to pay taxes, whats your point ?

[peergin]

in transit in Paris. Everything of value stolen from my checked in baggage. No compensation.

Ditto at Frankfurt Airport.

[B1TcoinLife]

Yet,, try shipping in personal items such as a repaired laptop,, showing receipts shipping it OUT of Thailand, receipt for repairs,,, fedex/Thai customs will RAPE you with import duties,, ask me how I know,,,

Yet,, try shipping in personal items such as a repaired laptop,, showing receipts shipping it OUT of Thailand, receipt for repairs,,, fedex/Thai customs will RAPE you with import duties,, ask me how I know,,,

You obviously did not follow the correct procedure but hey, lets not let your ignorance get in the way of a good old thai bashing opportunity.

I once shipped in 15 cartons with bookkeeping statements covering a number of years. There was not a single blank sheet of blank paper. Customs charged me more than B 10,000 because they said it was ........ paper.

You should have binded them together

"books" are tax exempt....

[Sydebolle]

You either get killed on the beach by non-Burmese, you get bailed for THB 100'000 for feeding fish in open sea or you get your belongings physically destroyed - now how about this as tag line for "Amazing Thailand".
While you do not put a laptop or any other sensitive electronic gizmo in your luggage the pictures clearly show wilful destruction; nothing gets damaged to that extent by a bag/suitcase be dropped/falling off a conveyer belt. Invoke article 88 and ....... arrest the passenger for complaining immediately - please!

[Veritas48]

Airlines are covered by insurance for things like this and I would advise retaining a lawyer and then sit back and watch the offers of compensation increase as and when they realize how serious the complainant is.I was offered US$50 for a similar incident in the US......eventually I was awarded $2500.00!The lawyer costs money but there is a reason for that!

[onthemoon]

Yet,, try shipping in personal items such as a repaired laptop,, showing receipts shipping it OUT of Thailand, receipt for repairs,,, fedex/Thai customs will RAPE you with import duties,, ask me how I know,,,

Yet,, try shipping in personal items such as a repaired laptop,, showing receipts shipping it OUT of Thailand, receipt for repairs,,, fedex/Thai customs will RAPE you with import duties,, ask me how I know,,,

You obviously did not follow the correct procedure but hey, lets not let your ignorance get in the way of a good old thai bashing opportunity.

I once shipped in 15 cartons with bookkeeping statements covering a number of years. There was not a single blank sheet of blank paper. Customs charged me more than B 10,000 because they said it was ........ paper.

And that was correct. What is your point?

[onthemoon]

Damn, wish I knew which airline. I'm gonna be travelling domestic in Thailand soon.

I read in the newspaper-that-may-not-be-named-on-ThaiVisa today that it was Thai Smile. That said, it could have happened with any airline, anywhere in the world.

[onthemoon]

This is what hurts the Tourism IMAGE of THAILAND not some kaoshan manager who punch some cheapskate customer in the face.

Nothing to do with Thailand, check out the internet and you find similar stories everywhere in the world. A few have been mentioned in this thread already.

[onthemoon]

Airlines are covered by insurance for things like this and I would advise retaining a lawyer and then sit back and watch the offers of compensation increase as and when they realize how serious the complainant is.I was offered US$50 for a similar incident in the US......eventually I was awarded $2500.00!The lawyer costs money but there is a reason for that!

Airlines are covered up to their liability, and you can read this up in the T&Cs.

Not sure whether the airline you mention settled out of court, as they did not want a PR disaster - it was cheaper this way. Or whether your lawyer noticed that there was a loophole in their T&Cs, which they will have filled by now.

[Plutojames88]

This is what hurts the Tourism IMAGE of THAILAND not some kaoshan manager who punch some cheapskate customer in the face.

Nothing to do with Thailand, check out the internet and you find similar stories everywhere in the world. A few have been mentioned in this thread already.

Not sure ....Loin air once disembarked us as an engine leaked large amounts of oil.

I was grateful at the time the flight was unloaded and they fixed it( the problem)

Though it later made me research that they ( Loin air are up in the worst airlines in the world) and allowed to fly in Thailand.

Apologist people that claim incidents within Thailand don't affect Thailand are entitled to that view.

But it actually does in my view

I would avoid an airline based on reports.

Friends agree with me.

Malaysian airlines I know had cancellation I was one.

Luggage is to me important poor management of it in a news item simple makes me no longer have that airline in the mix.

If people say it happens everywhere blah blah no one cares.

This is about a bad Thai airline

Edited May 29, 2016 by Plutojames88

[swerver]

This is why you never, ever, send your valuables such as a laptop computer, through checked baggage.

Correct NEVER.

In my years ago of traveling by air in my work in unreadable fine print on the airline ticket there was the WARSAW luggage claim airline responsibility.

Anyhow, if you took the time to research what you could not read on the airline ticket you did get the surprise of your life because the amount it showed the airline was responsible for was ridiculous it was so low it didn't even cover the cost of the cheapest, and I mean cheapest, suitcase on the market.

It looks like in this Post case that Warsaw Rule must be still in use by the airline(s) seeing the airline offered the claimant 2,000 Thai Baht as total coverage for all the damage or another suitcase which you can be assured will be the cheapest piece of shit you can find on a sidewalk market.

The way I overcame the airline luggage damage was by buying Halliburton suitcases, these suitcases practically speaking were indestructible in addition to be watertight. I'm talking 60-years ago, now 2016 there are many copycats to the Halliburton suitcases on the market, the more expensive, the better construction suitcase.

You pack your belongings in any of these soft type case you're leaving yourself open for destroying of the contents.

In addition NEVER put "Handle Careful Breakables Inside". Now these cowboys in the luggage handling section will make sure they throw it under the cart so it can be run over, you have made them in Thailand loose fase, and they will take care of you and your BS 'HANDLE CAREFUL".

LOL in LOS

Edited May 29, 2016 by swerver

[F4UCorsair]

Long gone are the days of customer satisfaction, loyalty, and repeat business.

Nowadays, it's 'screw every dollar out of a customer, promise little, deliver less,' and if most airlines are doing likewise, there is always another sucker walking through the door, for all of them.

Additionally, many customers are price driven, and it's why airlines like Jetstar survive.

[gandalf12]

Probably a blonde

That writes fluent thai?

Dyed their hair

[mulder12345]

It her fault. She no come to thailand, she no have problem. AND...who would put a laptop into checked baggage? Why not put your spending money and jewlery in there too?

[PlastikbinLina]

Probably a blonde

That writes fluent thai?

Maybe her writing is so poor it looks like Thai?

[PlastikbinLina]

This is why you never, ever, send your valuables such as a laptop computer, through checked baggage.

Correct NEVER.

In my years ago of traveling by air in my work in unreadable fine print on the airline ticket there was the WARSAW luggage claim airline responsibility.

Anyhow, if you took the time to research what you could not read on the airline ticket you did get the surprise of your life because the amount it showed the airline was responsible for was ridiculous it was so low it didn't even cover the cost of the cheapest, and I mean cheapest, suitcase on the market.

It looks like in this Post case that Warsaw Rule must be still in use by the airline(s) seeing the airline offered the claimant 2,000 Thai Baht as total coverage for all the damage or another suitcase which you can be assured will be the cheapest piece of shit you can find on a sidewalk market.

The way I overcame the airline luggage damage was by buying Halliburton suitcases, these suitcases practically speaking were indestructible in addition to be watertight. I'm talking 60-years ago, now 2016 there are many copycats to the Halliburton suitcases on the market, the more expensive, the better construction suitcase.

You pack your belongings in any of these soft type case you're leaving yourself open for destroying of the contents.

In addition NEVER put "Handle Careful Breakables Inside". Now these cowboys in the luggage handling section will make sure they throw it under the cart so it can be run over, you have made them in Thailand loose fase, and they will take care of you and your BS 'HANDLE CAREFUL".

LOL in LOS

Are you implying Thai luggage handlers can read English? I doubt it very much. Coloured warning labels in Thai might do the trick, if there is/are any.

[Bluespunk]

Well , nothing news worthy here ! I almost got arrested for complaining about Tiger Air losing my Bags for 4 all days of my trip to Philippines , it was found as I was departing , and in Singapore where it was wrongly shipped to Chaing Mai , they would not do anything besides hand me a form to fill out , even tho they ruined my trip ! Just like so many things today , people take no pride in their companies ! The staff swore their was no one in charge , to talk to about my complaint. I asked them , so if a plane crashes their is no one around to handle their disaster either !

There's always someone in charge to order the painting over of the company logo if still visible.

[onthemoon]

Long gone are the days of customer satisfaction, loyalty, and repeat business.

Nowadays, it's 'screw every dollar out of a customer, promise little, deliver less,' and if most airlines are doing likewise, there is always another sucker walking through the door, for all of them.

Additionally, many customers are price driven, and it's why airlines like Jetstar survive.

Gone are the days of loyalty, and the days of appreciating service. Customers only look for the lowest price.

And then they are surprised that they get less service from a low-cost carrier than from a full service airline.

[Winniedapu]

Well , nothing news worthy here ! I almost got arrested for complaining about Tiger Air losing my Bags for 4 all days of my trip to Philippines , it was found as I was departing , and in Singapore where it was wrongly shipped to Chaing Mai , they would not do anything besides hand me a form to fill out , even tho they ruined my trip ! Just like so many things today , people take no pride in their companies ! The staff swore their was no one in charge , to talk to about my complaint. I asked them , so if a plane crashes their is no one around to handle their disaster either

It's standard operating procedure in Thailand do deny there is a management or that you can speak to them. It's usually a management policy. Not always the case but mostly, that asking to speak with a manager is an exercise in frustration, at best you'll be kept waiting for a couple of hours, then a junior manager who can barely tie his shoelaces will arrive. Or worse still, a mate of the original nimno pretending to be a manager, about which they'll all have a good laugh later, at your expense. I've seen that happen.

In my experience, outside of *some* of the high-end hotels, Thai service is about as good as Thai everything else.

W

Edited May 29, 2016 by Winniedapu

[Happy Grumpy]

Wouldn't be surprised to find out that it was not properly loaded on the apron baggage trolley and was run over by another vehicle.

I would be surprised.

I mean, it's probably what happened, but I'd be very surprised at the Thais admitting it.

[brucegoniners]

One, what is the name of the airline so that I can avoid it and two, who in their right minds puts their laptop in checked baggage?

[AloisAmrein]

It seems to happen quite often. I had a similar problem on a flight with Thai Airways (codeshare flight) from BKK to Zurich. Baggage damaged, no compensation until today. Now I BOYCOTT Thai Airways by all means. And I bet that this airline will not exist anymore in 5 years, it is going down the drain. Too expensive, too bad service, too many delays, And the savety standard is also not good.

[Happy Grumpy]

While you do not put a laptop or any other sensitive electronic gizmo in your luggage the pictures clearly show wilful destruction; nothing gets damaged to that extent by a bag/suitcase be dropped/falling off a conveyer belt.

Stephen Henry Travelled out of Thailand post 9/11 - no snooker cues allowed on board anymore.

It was a 50 pound cue given to him on his 16th birthday by his parents. He used it to win World Championships.

Flying Thai airways.

Arrived to see that the case had been opened and the cue snapped in half.

[B1TcoinLife]

While you do not put a laptop or any other sensitive electronic gizmo in your luggage the pictures clearly show wilful destruction; nothing gets damaged to that extent by a bag/suitcase be dropped/falling off a conveyer belt.

Stephen Henry Travelled out of Thailand post 9/11 - no snooker cues allowed on board anymore.

It was a 50 pound cue given to him on his 16th birthday by his parents. He used it to win World Championships.

Flying Thai airways.

Arrived to see that the case had been opened and the cue snapped in half.

I hope he demanded compensation and didnt only get a voucher for 400thb..... But somehow probably not....

[Baerboxer]

Wouldn't be surprised to find out that it was not properly loaded on the apron baggage trolley and was run over by another vehicle.

That happened to me once at Birmingham Airport. When my suitcase came up the belt one corner had been crushed, it was soaking wet and a muddy mark was across it.

I complained and they said it was the airline's insurance responsibility. I emailed the airline, a German airline, who said yes it was. And they'd be pleased to examine the case providing I took it to their office in Germany that dealt with such matters. I kid you not. Lovely little catch 22.

Tossers.