Barcardi USA has sued American Airlines in the US District Court in Pasadena for the strange disappearance of more than $65,000 in imported French cognac last year.
The lawsuit does not necessarily imply that the liquor company is suing the airline. Bacardi, on the other hand, claims that American Airlines is to blame because the cargo was in the airline's control, as stated in the lawsuit, “While in the possession, custody and control of American Airlines, six pallets and three cases were lost or stolen."
Barcardi USA is the American branch of the Spanish alcohol company, which has been importing brandy from Cognac, France, to the United States for over a decade.
In recent years, the world's biggest privately held liquor industry has been an unforeseen partner with American Airlines and other airlines.
D'ussé Cognac, Gaston De LaGrange, and Otard are three cognac brands owned by the liquor production company. Bacardi provided American Airlines with 24 pallets holding 1,680 cases of cognac for the aircraft in issue.
However, when the cargo arrived at Los Angeles International Airport from Paris, it was noticed that six pallets and three cases were missing and unaccounted for.
Each pallet included around 70 cases of liquor, totaling approximately 420 cases that were never located. While the quantity of pallets and cases may appear insignificant, those six pallets were really valuable.
The lost liquor might be valued up to $65,820.72, according to Bacardi. Despite the fact that it was never confirmed whether the missing cases were stolen or misplaced, American Airlines has so far paid "no part" of the sum.
