Court rules in favor of traveler whose suitcase mistakenly ended up in Thailand while she was bound for Turkey.
In a notable decision made in 2025, the court in Yekaterinburg, Russia, ruled in favour of Elena Vladivorova in a case against airline Azur Air. The case, which gained attention for involving a delayed luggage claim, resulted in the airline being ordered to pay Elena a significant sum.
Elena, who flew from Koltsovo Airport to Turkey on Azur Air in June 2024, encountered a surprising turn of events when her luggage ended up in Thailand instead of its intended destination. As a result, she was forced to purchase necessary items on location during her vacation.
Elena, the plaintiff in the case, demanded that the airline compensate her for the cost of the items purchased (11,703 rubles), compensation for moral damage (100,000 rubles), and a 50% fine of the awarded sum, as stipulated by the Russian law on consumer protection.
However, the airline did not acknowledge the claim and stated that the luggage had been returned, thus there were no losses incurred. Despite this, the court partially satisfied Elena's claim, confirming the delay in delivering the luggage and recognizing the expenses for purchasing items as valid.
In the final ruling, the court ordered Azur Air to pay Elena 5,020 rubles in damages for the delay, 20,000 rubles in compensation for moral damage, and 17,969 rubles in legal fees. The court also imposed a fine of 12,510 rubles on the airline.
Interestingly, the court recalculated the amount based on the exchange rate of the Turkish lira on the date of purchase. The total sum ordered to be paid to Elena by Azur Air was 55,500 rubles.
The case was handled by RIA "Novy Day", and the name of the lawyer who represented Elena during the court proceedings is not publicly available. It is worth noting that Elena received her luggage four days after returning to Russia.
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