Originally Posted by ojala

I guess we can occasionally ask the same question about any airline.

My bag was lost on a HEL-LHR-ORD-LAX route a few years ago. The AA lost luggage person couldn't care less about it, speaking spanish to him would have been easier than english.

The number I was given was to a automated service that kept saying that my luggage has not yet been located. Eventually after 5 days the automatic service said that my case has been transferred to a "long-term loss" department somewhere and gave a new number -- where one could actually speak to a human being, during working hours. She was quite nice, not that she could find the luggage but she did authorize $200 for my expenses -- after 5 days..

The only problem was that when I claimed for the $200 at the airport a few days later, I got a cheque with no idea what to do with it (I have never used cheques before and our local banks phased them out in the 70's). The cheque had a bank's name that no longer existed (I didn't know that) but luckily in Chicago we found a building with a sign with the old name and after asking directions, learnt what the bank was today. Without that lucky event I would probably have never cashed it.

The bag did arrive at our hotel in Las Vegas a week later. No notification, no nothing. I was just about to call AA that when found, they can send the luggage back home.

Why don't they use pre-loaded credit cards?