Chicago (IL) – Flying from New Haven, CT to Cincinnati, OH is a short flight. Still, that short jaunt from one place to another turned poor Yale student Jesse Maiman’s life upside down and sending him into emotional distress. His sweet, dear, irreplaceable Xbox 360 (with a very specialized hard drive and other components) disappeared from his checked luggage. Yes, I said it, his checked luggage.
If you’re like me, you’re definitely thinking “what was his Xbox doing in his checked luggage, and not in his carry-on bag?” But Maiman belives the lost Xbox 360 with special components is worth $1000. However, he intends to sue the airline for $1 million.
If we completely disregard the fact that a consumer can purchase a brand new Xbox 360 for about $299.99, the Yale student has estimated the value of his magical box and the other missing items at around $1700. Maiman feels that he should be additionally compensated for “non-economic distress” at a minimum value of $25,000, and up to $1,000,000 — the maximum value of damages allowed by law.
I’m sure you’re aware that losing an Xbox 360 is as distressing as losing a pet, a family member, or having your eye gouged out by the guy next to you during the flight… so it would make sense that one should be compensated for their extreme emotional distress in the case of the missing Xbox. Just out of curiosity, were the individuals on the flight which landed in the Hudson River compensated more than $5,000 for their emotional distress?
After discovering that his Xbox was missing from his luggage (how many people check their luggage while still in the airport?) he went directly to speak with someone who worked for US Airways. The Cincinnati Enquirer claims Maiman stated he was given “an unconscionable runaround,” after being directed to 5 different US Airways employees.
US Airways, overwhelmed with guilt and concern, had a spokesperson speak as to the company’s position. After stating that US Airways had yet to be notified of the lawsuit, the spokesperson was kind enough to extend a heartfelt response to Maiman’s claim stating, “there are federal loss limits applicable to all airlines on their liability for lost luggage and belongings, which are currently set at $3,300 per bag.” She even went on to express her personal deepest sympathies while explaining the airline’s “publicly available baggage policies specifically exclude liability for electronics checked in luggage.”
TG Daily attempted to reach Maiman for comment, though in response he only said “I decline to comment.”
