ArcaMax

Q: My daughter and I flew from Boston to Chicago on American Airlines recently. Our tickets included one free checked bag per ticket. When we checked in at the kiosk at Logan International Airport in Boston, they charged us $40 per bag. Before we paid, we asked an American Airlines employee for assistance. She told us to "just pay the charge and ask for a refund later." We paid the fees, then boarded our flight.

I have tried numerous times to contact American Airlines about this, to no avail. I have called the toll-free number at different times and worked through the prompts, only to have the system hang up on me. I have used the 24/7 virtual assistant, and they were only able to provide me a link to the American Airlines refund page, which did not allow me to request a bag fee refund.

I also filled out the American Airlines comment/complaint form to try to reach out this way. I received a boilerplate email stating that American Airlines was going to "make sure that my concerns were directed to the appropriate parties" and to please choose American Airlines for my future travel needs.

I would like a refund of the $80 that we paid. Can you help me? -- David Ponzevic, Plainfield, Illinois

A: American Airlines shouldn't have charged you $80 for your checked luggage. So much for "free" bags! While I'm on the subject, let me object to the term "free" anything, especially luggage. American should have said that it included the cost of your luggage in the cost of your fare. (Technically, nothing is free when you're flying.)

Oh, I know, some of you dear readers are probably saying, "But it's free if I use my credit card." Nope! You're still paying an annual fee or giving American a percentage of those lucrative swipe fees. Or you're paying interest. Either way, it's not free.

American asked you to pay twice for your checked baggage, and this is really upsetting. The other upsetting thing is the way American handled your request for help. You battled seemingly endless phone trees, unhelpful AI technology, and a tone-deaf customer service department. Is it any wonder that American has the reputation it does when it comes to customer service?

How could you have avoided this? The problem happened at the check-in counter. I might have skipped the self-service kiosk and headed to one of the staffed ticket counters. An agent could have overridden the system and ensured that you didn't have to pay twice for your checked baggage. If this failed, you could have at least gotten the name of the agent who promised you a refund. After this, the only fix would have been to write to one of the American Airlines executive contacts I publish on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.

I contacted American Airlines on your behalf. A representative said that you had purchased your tickets through an online agency and that the fare included a free checked bag per passenger. But it looks like you changed your ticket, which downgraded you to a regular economy class ticket. American then refunded you a $27 fare difference.

"That said, we understand the confusion based on the confirmation email they were sent that still said one free bag and are willing to refund the bag," the representative told me.

But before American Airlines could do anything, you reported that the $80 charge had inexplicably been voided. American closed your case, and since you have your money back, I will close my case, too.

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Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at elliottadvocacy.org/help/.

(c) 2025 Christopher Elliott

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