■Air France is responsible for losing at least one piece of luggage on a flight from Los Angeles to Paris last year, a judge ruled last month.
Samir Hafza, who was flying with his wife and child, claimed that more than 120 people on the flight had lost their luggage. All three of his bags were lost, but two were recovered within a week and a third bag was delivered to his home more than a month later.
But the bag was not his. “They had a terrible month, according to them,” Hafza said. A representative from Air France denied Hafza’s claim, while acknowledging that bags are sometimes lost.
“We have no baggage claim for this gentleman,” he said. “We don’t send people away with nothing. Sometimes people leave with nothing and sometimes people are very angry and we understand that. These bags were delayed but ultimately delivered.”
Santa Monica Small Claims Judge Pro Tem Craig Mordoh was displeased that the air-line representative claimed to have no documentation of Hafza’s flight or luggage.
“It makes me nervous that in this day and age of hijacking you don’t even have paperwork for this gentleman,” he said.
Judge Mordoh found in favor of Hafza, granting him $640, plus court costs. The court did not follow Air France’s policy of reimbursing passengers $20 per kilo for lost luggage.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 27, 2002. Read the original PDF.