American Airlines May Have Improperly Charged You for a Checked Bag! Those Affected Could Get up to $200 in Compensation

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If you flew on American Airlines in the past 5 years and paid to check a bag, there’s a chance the airline could owe you some money!  American Airlines recently agreed to settle and compensate customers who flew between July 13, 2013, and June 7, 2018, and were wrongfully charged for their checked bags, inconsistent with American Airlines baggage fee policies. 

To receive a pay out from the settlement, American Airlines passengers must file a claim by November 26, 2018. Each customer will be eligible for compensation between $18.75 and $200 plus interest for each bag that was incorrectly charged and should have been free.  To be eligible for compensation, you must have:

• Held a First or Business Class ticket for a domestic flight
• Held a Business Class ticket for an international flight
• Held AAdvantage elite status with American Airlines or an equivalent frequent flyer elite status with a partner airline, or traveled on the same itinerary as a passenger who held such status
• Been an active US military member or the dependent of a US military member traveling on orders
• Been an active US military member on personal travel

The amount of compensation you can receive depends on the type of ticket you purchased and how many bags you were charged for.  This settlement is interesting because it affects airline co-branded cardholders who should have gotten a free bag, but didn’t.

To file a claim, you can go direct to the settlement website or click here for the PDF paper bag claim form.   If you or someone you know has questions about the lawsuit, it’s recommended you:

• Call 877-450-8798
• Send questions by email to [email protected] 
• Write to: 
  • American Airlines Baggage Fee Settlement c/o Settlement Administrator PO Box 30478

    Philadelphia, PA 19103

• Call Class Counsel toll free at 866-762-8575

You can avoid checked baggage fees by having the right credit card, like team member Joseph does.  Here’s our post with the best credit cards with free checked bags.

Hat tip:   The Points Guy