Double baggage fees with long layover - American Airlines
Today I made an unfortunate discovery, perhaps the weirdest baggage policy I’ve ever encountered, buried in the fine print of American Airlines’ terms of carriage. This rule states that if you have a layover exceeding 16.5 hours, you “may be” charged for luggage again. I was indeed charged double.
I’m in the middle of an international relocation, and to keep things short and sweet, I checked four bags. I paid the fee, but had an overnight layover en route. After collecting my luggage and arriving to recheck it, I was hit with a bill of almost $500, even more than I had paid at the original point of departure.
The desk staff didn’t even know the policy themselves, and had to look it up and check with a supervisor to understand what the computer was saying. But after various calls, they confirmed that yes, I had to pay twice, and I even had to pay the higher international fees even though today’s itinerary is domestic only.
Suffice it say, I’m not happy to be caught out by such a rule, and a quick search of the web reveals quite a few complaints about American but no obvious mention of other airlines.
So, for pilots, cabin crew, and anyone else who might know: is there a reasonable justification for this policy? And do you know of any similar policies at other airlines? I’m struggling to think of a sensible reason for this, given that I had to collect the bags overnight and the airline does not appear to have any special handling requirements