A woman has successfully won a case against Flair Airlines through the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) after claiming that jewelry went missing from her checked baggage during a flight from Mexico to Vancouver. The tribunal ruled in favor of the woman, ordering the airline to pay her over $600 in compensation.
The incident occurred when the woman returned from a trip with Flair Airlines in February 2024. Upon opening her luggage the next day, she noticed that her bag seemed to have been tampered with and discovered that a pouch containing jewelry was missing. Despite reporting the loss to the airline via text and their website on separate occasions, the woman did not receive a satisfactory response until Flair acknowledged the missing items in June 2024.
Flair defended itself by stating that valuable items like jewelry should not be packed in checked baggage according to its international tariff, insisting they should be carried in a passenger’s carry-on instead. However, the tribunal found Flair responsible for the loss as the airline failed to provide evidence that passengers were informed of this policy beforehand.
While the CRT held Flair accountable for the missing jewelry under the Montreal Convention and federal Carriage by Air Act, the compensation awarded to the woman was adjusted due to the lack of receipts or evidence to validate the value of the items. Ultimately, Flair was ordered to pay the woman $606.18, comprising damages, interest, and tribunal fees within 30 days.
