Do airlines actually have to compensate a passenger whose bag was soiled on board by another passenger who was drunk and vomiting? If so, is a $50 voucher appropriate for this? 

This very topic is currently being discussed in the United States of America, particularly on social media. Unfortunately, the background is not a hypothesis, but just a few days ago an incident like this happened. A woman was traveling on American Airlines and had to sit next to a woman who she said was drunk and abusive. 

A very disgusting incident followed, as the problematic person eventually sat down on the floor and vomited. She is said to have hit the hand luggage of the lady who is now complaining massively about American Airlines. Both the bag and its contents suffered a lot and could only have been cleaned poorly on board. Needless to say, the owner had to do this herself. 

She immediately filed a complaint with American Airlines because if the woman had been so drunk that ground staff would have had to deny her boarding. But that wasn't the case, so from the perspective of those affected, the incident occurred. However, the US carrier did not want to cover the costs of cleaning and replacement and simply sent the lady a voucher for 50 US dollars. 

The woman posted her experience, including American Airlines' reaction, on social media. The carrier responded and wrote to her that she should please respond to an email that had been sent to her. It is also noteworthy that some people wrote in their posts that they had been affected by similar vomiting incidents in the past and that the airline, including American Airlines, allegedly received no compensation whatsoever, not even a voucher. 

Legally, it is also a tricky question in the USA whether airlines can be held liable for the misconduct of other passengers. When it comes to personnel - classic example: the coffee accidentally spilled by the flight attendant - the matter is very clear, because every employee is an agent of the company and the company is liable. However, if the perpetrator is another passenger, it will probably depend on the exact circumstances as to whether the airline was partly at fault or whether it should have recognized that an avertable danger posed by a fellow passenger. It is therefore likely to be a complex evidentiary process that is only possible if nothing can be obtained from the actual perpetrator or if the airline refuses to release the contact details.