ashill

eyechip

It said $0.00. What I assume is a reasonable perception that is clearly (given the posts on this) not a unique individual thing. Thus, I could care less if you think it's irrelevant. It's deceptive at best.

USFlyerUS

Can you cut and paste the language from the fare rules?

eyechip

"Baggage charges for your itinerary will be governed by American Airlines BAG ALLOWANCE -SEAYVR-No free checked bags/ American Airlines 1STCHECKED BAG FEE-SEAYVR-USD0.00/ American Airlines /UP TO 50 LB/23 KG AND UP TO 62 LINEAR IN/158 LINEAR CM 2NDCHECKED BAG FEE-SEAYVR-USD0.00/ American Airlines /UP TO 50 LB/23 KG AND UP TO 62 LINEAR IN/158 LINEAR CM ADDITIONAL ALLOWANCES AND/OR DISCOUNTS MAY APPLY"

ashill

OK; that's what's been typically included on AA eticket receipts for elites for years. My understanding is that that language is legally binding on all carriers on the ticket, even though it's incorrect. If it somehow isn't legally binding, it's very clearly confusing. You should indeed press AS for a refund (it's AS, not AA, who incorrectly applied the ticketed baggage fee) and continue with the DOT if AS doesn't refund the fee.

ETA: I'd forgotten that AA.com now says explicitly (though it's hard to find, requiring opening the right sequence of submenus on the AA.com elite status benefits page)
@eyechip, did you have a printout of your eticket receipt? AA.com explicitly recommends that in certain situations; I think experience here shows that it's a good idea to have for AS-operated flights, especially when the eticket receipt is clearly in your favor.

USFlyerUS

I'll admit the language is confusing. However, the way I read this is that for the SEAYVR part of your itinerary, there are no free checked bags ("SEAYVR-No free checked bags") unless operated by American Airlines ("American Airlines 1STCHECKED BAG FEE-SEAYVR-USD0.00").

ashill

I'll emphasize what I said before: your complaint is with Alaska, who charged you the bag fee that your eticket receipt explicitly said they should not charge you. It is Alaska who should refund the $30.

What you think is absolutely irrelevant when what you think is wrong with respect to the policy. If I assume AA provides free meals in coach, am I entitled to a free meal? In this case, you luck out on paper because AA.com does (now) explicitly cover AA-marketed flights with the checked bag fee waiver. Until fairly recently, it was entirely the operating carrier of the first segment (ie the carrier you check in with) whose policies determined any status-based bag fee waivers. ^ to AA for having a policy that does follow your assumption, but that doesn't mean it's your assumption that matters; that's all I meant.

For what it's worth, as far as I know, Alaska and Delta both have the same policy, where only the operating carrier's policy is relevant for any waivers of the ticketed baggage allowance and fees. (It's only in edge cases like the AA-AS partnership where there's a codeshare but no reciprocal bag fee waivers where this is relevant; on alliance partners, the bag fees are waived anyway for both AA/oneworld and DL/SkyTeam, for example.) For sure, when I check in for an AS-marketed, AA-operated flight with my AS elite status, I expect to pay the bag fee if I have to check.

ashill

It says
so it's the American policy that applies.

On most other airlines in the equivalent situation, the listed bag fee would be USD30.00 and a status-based (not ticketed) waiver of the bag fee would apply at check-in. That's not how AA does it. If the eticket receipt also had a section that said ALASKA AIRLINES USD30.00 or something like that, the airline might have a case. But it doesn't say USD30.00 anywhere.

USFlyerUS

But, isn't the AA policy that we do not get a free checked bag on AS?

ashill

See above, especially post #12 . The AA written policy is now that AA elites get a free checked bag on AA marketed and operated flights or AA marketed flights. But again, that doesn't even matter once the eticket receipt says the fee is USD0.00. If it says that, that applies for all operating carriers on the ticket under Federal law.

USFlyerUS

Interesting. I would never have thought my bags would be free on AS.

One of the referenced pages also says to contact AA if you feel you've been charged incorrectly. I'd just do that and see what happens.

Also, FWIW, this seems overly complicated on many fronts, so it's no wonder agents from different companies come to different conclusions.

And, how does this ticketing work if the ticket is issued by a travel agent, given the travel agent doesn't necessarily know one's elite status at time of ticketing? What language then is included in the ticket?

freeagent

Did a little research on the DOT website and found two bits of information backing up the notion that no bag fees should have been charged by Alaska.

Since on the confirmation page there is nothing referring to AS baggage policy or that their policy is even applied, you should not be charged bag fees.

Another takeaway below states that the exact amount charged for bags on the flight must be displayed.

Source

eyechip

Here is the response I received from American. Not only was an Executive Platinum clearly buried so as to get a response from some offshore office but Alaska Airlines has now, I guess, changed their name to "Alaskan." Gee, thank you, "Rome M." This is pathetic. Truly.

"Thank you for contacting American Airlines. I'm sorry that you were charged a baggage fee by Alaskan Airlines. However, once your ticket is endorsed to the other airline such as Alaskan Airlines in this case, all their associated procedures and policies apply to your travel. Accordingly, I must respectfully decline to reimburse the baggage fees you incurred with them.

Mr. -----, thank you for contacting us. We know your time is valuable and we'll do our very best to restore your confidence in our ability to get you where you are going as planned! We will look forward to welcoming you onboard a future American Airlines flight."Sincerely,

Rome M.
Customer Relations
American Airlines

ashill

As I said, it wasn't American who charged you the bag fee. It is Alaska who charged you a fee that was inconsistent with your ticketed bag fee (as listed in your eticket receipt). Your beef is with Alaska; ask them for a refund.

eyechip

As you said and I did. I am awaiting a response from them as well. My beef is not with anyone but the system. The two of them need to get together and figure this out as it is both deceptive and misleading as to what expectations are. I could give a hoot about $30.00. But I do care that many people in the cumulative are being taken advantage of with the idea that a codeshare booked on the AA website will offer some semblance of similar service. At least in the area of a damn checked bag. I am not an idiot. I fly 200K a year around the world and have for decades. And even I was under the impression that this is what one could expect. I also filed a complaint with the DOT and we will see if that has any bearing. The bottom line is that while I am pissed that airlines get away with this I am even more insulted and pissed at the response I got from American as an Exec Plat. I am supposed to actually have faith in a system that can't even spell it's codeshare airline's name correctly?