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Passengers stranded in Moscow airport accuse personnel of baggage bribery

28 December 2010 20:13 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Several passengers stranded in Moscow’s Sheremetyvo International Airport on Tuesday claimed they had to bribe airport personnel to receive their checked baggage on flights that were canceled, APA reports quoting RIA Novosti.

"A worker told us he was unable to find our luggage, but after he had collected 500 rubles ($16.50) each from some passengers [all together $66], he brought our bags back," a passenger said.

The press service of the airport has not commented on the incident so far.

Thousands of passengers remain stranded at the Moscow major airports of Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo following an ice storm that hit the entire territory of Central Russia over the weekend. Hundreds of flights have been canceled and delayed as severe freezing rain caused serious power outages. Some 20,000 passengers have been affected by the weather.

Lawyers of the stranded passengers are preparing a multimillion-ruble class action suit against the airports.