Does Air Canada owe me compensation for breaking objects in checked baggage?

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Accepted answer

Airlines are required to compensate you for the loss of or damage to the baggage itself, under national laws or various international treaties. They generally disclaim liability for the contents of your luggage, and explicitly disclaim responsibility for items which are fragile, perishable, or valuable (unless the excess value is declared and insured separately). As Air Canada's Conditions of Carriage states (emphasis added),

  1. Subject to the provisions of the Montreal Convention and the Warsaw Convention, as well as the provisions of its applicable tariffs, Air Canada may refuse carriage of property in checked luggage that is not suitable for transportation, such as fragile or perishable items and may refuse to carry valuable items (a valuable is deemed to be any item whose value is $ 1,000 CAD or more, per Kilogram or $1 CAD per gram). Air Canada may refuse claims based on the inherent nature of an item (e.g. its perishable nature), or for loss or delay of unsuitably or inadequately packed items, to the extent that the destruction, loss or damages resulted from the inherent defect, quality or vice of the baggage, or, in the case of delay, that the carrier, its agents, and servants took all measures that could reasonably be required to avoid the damage, or that it was impossible to take such measures.

(This text is repeated under Baggage Limits of Liability).

It will be extraordinarily difficult to demonstrate to Air Canada that the items were adequately packed. I'm not familiar with either product you cite, but I'm also not aware that Air Canada or any other airline in the world would endorse any such product to the point where they would accept liability when they are in use. Moreover, even the best product might be compromised if you overpack the bag, or place it in an unrecommended orientation, or if it is damaged itself. VinniBag explicitly says they do not offer a guarantee, but WineHero promises "100% satisfaction," so you might take things up with them.

You might make a claim for compensation if your wine bottles broke because of mistreatment that caused other damage to the luggage. With Air Canada must file a written notice with them within 7 days of your arrival; ideally, you would have reported the damage immediately upon reclaiming the bags.

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