Koru Lounge Clouting – Excess Baggage is One Thing – A $33,000 Penalty For This Nelson Lawyer Is Another

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We reported on the incident involving Nelson lawyer Anjela Sharma earlier this year when Justice Davison rejected her plea for Air New Zealand to lift her travel ban after bad behaviour in the Koru Lounge.

Now her’s order her to pay the airline $30,114 for costs and $3,657.21 in disbursements after her failed bid to have them permit her to travel.

Although apparently also an arbitrator and/or mediator, Anjela Sharma’s AMINZ profile is remarkably sparse. Mediation skills did not come immediately to mind with the Koru incident.

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The one-year ban was imposed following behaviour that was regarded as “bullying” and as “pushing the boundaries of decency” when she travels.

The Air New Zealand report said: “I feel Mrs Sharma uses bullying tactics to gain her own way every time she travels, we are always courteous and helpful to her, but she pushes the boundaries of decency every time she travels, and I would like to put a stop to her countless demands with us,” the report said.

The Air New Zealand staff member said in the report that Sharma and her family were not welcome in the Nelson Koru Lounge in the future and sought action to prevent this type of action happening again.

Sharma claimed Air New Zealand wrote to her and alleged she and her family had been refused entry, entered the lounge without permission, and the family was loud and aggressive.

In his judgment earlier this year, Justice Davison said –

The report described the applicant and members of her family as being very loud, disruptive, and intimidating during their dealings with the Lounge hostess over their entitlement to use the Lounge. The report said that members of the applicant’s family called the Lounge hostess stupid and racist, and mocked and loudly mimicked her voice when she greeted other passengers entering the Lounge. The report further noted that at one point a member of the airport security staff was called to the Lounge and had offered to call the Police.

Sharma filed the proceeding to the High Court following Justice Davison’s decision, stating the airline was in breach of its contractual obligations to her as a passenger who had booked and paid for several flights she had not yet taken.

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