Wants $1 Million For $200 Video Game Console

A 21-year-old Yale University student has sued US Airways for up to $1 million, after claiming his XBox 360 video game console was stolen from his checked bag on a flight from New Haven, CT to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

Jesse Maiman, a resident of the Cincinatti suburb of Madeira, OH when he's not in school, says he claimed his bag at the end of the December 17, 2008 flight, only to discover it was suspiciously light.

He says when he opened it and found the XBox and its accessories -- including a "specialized hard drive" -- missing, he reported it to the airline immediately, but got what he called "an unconscionable run-around" from five separate airline employees.

The Cincinatti Enquirer reports he filed suit Monday in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court, seeking $1,700 bucks for the equipment, and compensation for his "non-economic distress" of at least $25,000... or, "in the maximum amount allowable by law or, in the alternative, in the sum of one million dollars."

Valerie Wunder of US Airways said the airline was unaware of the suit, but calmly pointed out there's a federal liability limit of $3,300 for the contents of checked bags.

"Further, our publicly available baggage policies specifically exclude liability for electronics checked in luggage," she added.

Thus proving why carry-on luggage exists.

FMI: www.usairways.com, www.xbox.com