A first-class passenger has had her Louis Vuitton handbag on an American Airlines flight between Florida and Texas, and now the victim is looking for $7,000 in damages plus a refund for her ticket. The passenger, who shared her dilemma on TikTok, has claimed that the American Airlines flight attendant was serving the passenger in front when a glass of wine spilled and ran between the seats.

As analysed by Garry Leff at View From The Wing, the passenger named Tara Kranzel was traveling from Tampa to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on the oneworld carrier when the wing faux-pas occurred. It took several minutes for the passenger to realise the spill was leaking onto her designer handbag, socks, sweatpants, laptop, headphones, Cartier ring box, and shoes.

Who Is At Fault?

Credit: Shutterstock

After the spill had leaked onto Kranzel’s possessions, a flight attendant assisted by providing her with paper napkins to help soak up the red wine; many of the items were damaged. As reported by the Facebook page True Crime Mama, just ten napkins were provided to Kranzel, and she was left to clean the majority of items by herself.

Once at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Kranzel also attempted to file a claim, but was allegedly dismissed by the gate and baggage claim attendant. Eventually, she was directed to contact the airline’s customer service team and fill out a web complaint form. After filing multiple complaints, Kranzel was still upset, and eventually even took to emailing the American Airlines Chief Executive Officer, Robert Isom. It remains unclear if he replied. Simple Flying reached out to American Airlines for comment on the matter; however did not immediately receive a response by the time this article was published.

American Airlines operates multiple daily flights between Tampa International Airport (TPA) and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), and is TPA’s fifth busiest route according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The airline faces direct and indirect competition from the following airlines:

Lead Flight Attendant Name And ID Number

Credit: American Airlines

During the flight, Kranzel requested to speak with the lead flight attendant (not the individual pictured above), who was the same person who had attended to her shortly following the incident. Once she had his name and ID number, she decided to share these details publicly (however, Simple Flying will not share these to respect the flight attendant’s privacy).

After multiple complaints and emails to the CEO, Kranzel claims she has been ignored, and this has led to the demands for more than $7,000 in damages for her items, and the refund of her first-class domestic flight ticket. While it appears that Kranzel believes that the airline should take responsibility for the incident, many on social media believe the claim of $7,000 is excessive, and some items, such as the headphones, may be water-resistant.

Airlines also have some exclusions for compensation claims for damaged items, which exclude designer or luxury items, electronics, or jewelry if transported onboard. It remains unclear if the passengers’ electronic items are still fully functional. The American Airlines Baggage Liability policy is detailed below.

Related

Southwest Airlines Sued After Wheelchair User Allegedly ‘Abandoned’ In Atlanta Airport Restroom

A 64-year-old wheelchair user claims she was left alone in an airport restroom for an extended period, sparking a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines.

American Airlines Baggage Liability

Credit: Shutterstock

As detailed on the American Airlines website, the airline will reimburse for domestic travel up to a total of $4,700 for damage or loss to checked baggage. There are specific procedures that must be followed to ensure the claim can be reviewed and verified. The airline quite clearly details that they will not pay for loss or damage to belongings that are carried onboard in the passenger cabin, and specific exclusions include jewelry, cameras, or cash for both carry-on and checked baggage baggage.

For international travel, liability depends on whether the itinerary is governed by the Warsaw Convention or primarily the Montreal Convention, where reimbursement varies for the weight of each checked bag or the total cost per ticketed customer.

While what happened to Kranzel was not ideal, this raises the question of whether taking to social media to name and shame the airline and flight attendant was really necessary, and whether the airline will take the $7,000 claim seriously.