Reader Question: American Airlines Lost Checked Bag & Refuses To Compensate?
A LoyaltyLobby reader sent us a case about completely lost luggage with America Airlines and their refusal to compensate.
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You can access American Airlines here.
Reader’s Case:
After 2 months of searching AA has officially lost and not found my checked bag. I submitted all required docs but now they are saying no compensation as I voluntarily separated from my bag. I have never heard of that word until just now.
The agent who took my bag never said those words. Nothing was printed on my ticket or luggage bag receipt. I did not sign anything and had I heard those words I never would have checked the bag. Yes the bag was checked in less than 45 mins from departure.
At first they would not take the bag as they said not enough time. However after I said I did mobile check in and have boarding pass they agreed. My friend and I had trouble with TSA and as a result missed flight. Went back to counter and they were able to pull 1 bag from the plane but not mine (no idea why). It went without me. Tracking showed it arriving at final destination. Email notifications confirmed the same. Upon arrival next day bag was nowhere to be found.
Executive platinum status and being given the run around with excuses. Any advice?
As it was unclear, I asked the reader if this was a domestic or international itinerary and whether they received the checked luggage tags.
Yes it was domestic within the US. I received a luggage tag and there is no marking anywhere which says I voluntarily separated from my bag. It has a time stamp of 1901 and the flight was scheduled to depart at 1938 so 37 minutes after.
They gave me the run around for 2 months. Then the last 2 weeks no contact (email, phone). Finally around April 2 I got a call saying they would not reimburse. They also stated the reason why no contact recently was the case manager for me had left the company 2 weeks before and she was just assigned to me. I asked to speak with supervisor both verbally as well as via email but was just given basically a sorry we cant help you.
I asked if they had filed for compensation, for what amount, and if they had received the Property Irregularity Report (PIR) number.
When I landed the next morning and the baggage could not be found the woman in the baggage office took my info and a delayed baggage receipt was emailed to me as well as a file number. Im unfamiliar with the term Property Irregularity Report but I assume that was the email I received.
1 week after this report was filed I received an email asking me to fill out a Passenger Property Questionnaire. When I got home approximately 1 week after that from my work trip (2 weeks since bag was lost) I filled out questionnaire. Total was around 2k USD plus another 250 or so for replacing necessary items while I was on the road away from home.
It seems that American Airlines is basically giving the reader a runaround, or some of the replies are coming from a dumb bot.
There is a maximum liability of $3,800 per passenger on domestic US itineraries for a delayed/lost luggage, and I am not sure what the replies coming from AA are about that the passengers would have voluntarily separated from their bag when AA checked them in, and they couldn’t make the flight due to TSA issues.
The reader should open a complaint Department of Transportation (DOT) Aviation Protection Consumer Unit (do it here).
The complaint will be escalated to the correct level with AA to an agent with reading and comprehension skills, and I would expect a prompt payment of the claim amount.
Conclusion
I am not sure why the AA claimed that the reader would have voluntarily separated from their bag and that it wouldn’t be AA’s liability if the bag went to the plane without the reader and was lost at the destination.
AA is clearly wrong here, and a complaint to DOT is warranted.
