American Airlines Agrees To Pay Its Passengers At Least $7.5 Million Over Bogus Bag Fees - Are You An Affected Party?

A few American Airlines passengers, convinced that the airlines had wrongly forced them to pay bag fees, filed a class-action lawsuit against them. The passengers claimed in the lawsuit that they were “improperly charged” and forced to make payment for checking bags. 

Plaintiffs include passengers with AA-branded credit cards with many privileges, including bag checks, and those who were eligible for the AAdvantage Gold status loyalty program offered by American Airlines. These passengers claimed their eligible benefits were not programmed into the airline’s software accurately for many years.

American Airlines has now agreed to refund the plaintiffs and many others with similar claims and complaints. The airline has agreed to pay at least $7.5 million as a part of the settlement agreement in the suit filed against them in Texas. 

The agreement was reached in mid-August, 12 days before the scheduled trial.

According to the court filings, the airline has denied any allegations of wrongdoing in the case. An American Airlines representative declined to comment, as did an attorney working on the case. The financial agreement has to be approved by the court for the customers to receive compensation.

Have you flown American Airlines in the past few years? Did you pay to check your bags? You might be able to claim a part of that settlement. 

What Wrongdoing Did The Plaintiffs Claim?

The plaintiffs allege that the airline routinely tells specific passengers they can check bags for free. However, they are later required to pay when they check in at the airport.

According to the lawsuit, AA enticed passengers by offering free checked bags to some customers. These included passengers who were frequent fliers with AA and used the AA loyalty program. The suit said AA “systematically breached those contracts by asking those passengers to pay for such bag checks. Passengers who requested a refund were refused any.

According to the lawsuit, American Airlines made over $1.4 billion in baggage fees in 2019 alone.

Eligibility For Claiming Money

The settlement classifies members into two groups:

• Travelers with AA-branded credit cards that permitted them to have free bag-checking privileges 
• Travelers who received confirmation via email that one or more of their bags would be free to check 

You must have traveled with the airlines or after Feb. 24, 2017. The tickets must not have been purchased later than April 8, 2020.

How Much Can Eligible Passengers Get From The Settlement 

According to the settlement, eligible travelers will be paid a complete refund of fees charged for checked-baggage. The AA website says the charges for luggage will be calculated as follows:

• The first checked piece on a domestic flight is $30.
• A second bag will be $40.
• A third bag will be $150.
• A fourth bag will be $200.

American Airlines has agreed to a minimum $7.5 million settlement. However, there is no cap on this amount, and the final amount could be significantly higher.

How To File For Claims Under The Settlement

The settlement website presently provides details on the rights and options of class members. However, it does not provide forms or deadlines for filing a claim.

American Airlines mentioned in the court papers that eligible class members would be notified about the settlement details by public notice and mail. It also states that a toll-free phone number will be provided and include additional information on the settlement website.