Air Canada Reimburses Passenger $1,200 in Expenses After Her Bag Was Delayed for 2 Days

Amanda Taylor
·2 min read
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TORONTO, ON - APRIL 01: A passenger wheels her luggage near an Air Canada logo at Toronto Pearson International Airport on April 1, 2020 in Toronto, Canada. Air Canada announced it would temporarily lay off over 15,000 employees and reduce activity by up to 90 percent due to the coronavirus. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - APRIL 01: A passenger wheels her luggage near an Air Canada logo at Toronto Pearson International Airport on April 1, 2020 in Toronto, Canada. Air Canada announced it would temporarily lay off over 15,000 employees and reduce activity by up to 90 percent due to the coronavirus. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)

Cole Burston/Getty

One customer's lost luggage became a mini shopping spree, thanks to an airline policy.

A tribunal for Air Canada ruled Saturday that a passenger's expenses should be partially refunded after her suitcase temporarily went missing.

Jessica Kalynn traveled to Dubai in September 2021, for a week-long work trip. Her baggage, according to CBC, didn't arrive in the Emirate until two days later.

The airline offered Kalynn an initial compensation amount of $500, but she filed a claim asking for another $1,620.67. In the dispute, Kalynn argued she was owed a total of $2,120.67 for all the replacement items she said she was forced to buy.

CBC reported that her purchases were four pairs of shoes, six bottoms, five tops, one bathing suit, two bras, two pairs of underwear, one package of socks and toiletries.

"Ms. Kalynn says given her schedule for her 6-day trip, she needed the items she purchased," the official filing said. The schedule included a conference for work, a professional dinner at a high-end restaurant and regular workouts.

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TORONTO, ON - JULY 22 - The domestic baggage area of arrivals level of terminal one. Passengers in Toronto Pearson International Airport Terminal One early in the morning, passengers that arrive early are instructed to wait at pillars 14 and 15 for their flights to be called before they go to Gate F for security and customs. in Toronto. July 22, 2022. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty

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While Air Canada took the position that these expenses were "excessive," one tribunal member wrote that she understood both sides.

"I find it was reasonable for Ms. Kalynn to purchase some different clothes and shoes given the activities she undisputedly had scheduled," she wrote.

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"Even with the different activities, I find Ms. Kalynn has not adequately explained why she needed four pairs of footwear (in addition to what she wore on the plane) and six bottoms and five tops, even if she had to change her clothes during a day."

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British Columbia's Civil Resolution Tribunal ruled that the airline will have to pay an additional $700 in compensation on top of the $500 the airline had already paid, bringing the passenger's total compensation to $1,200.

Through Canada's Carriage by Air Act, travelers can receive up to $2,200 in damages if their luggage is delayed, according to Business Insider.