Bretteee

Condition of suitcase on arrival in New York of one suitcase.

Condition of second suitcase on arrival in New York

This is the condition our two suitcases arrived in in New York from Miami. The fancy red Priority labels offer no protection. American do not consider this luggage damaged. I now will need to look for a company to attempt to clean them.

Antarius

Priority bags are supposed to be for delivery speed. Now, some places this is respected and acted upon while others, it's simply ignored.

Priority tags aren't meaning that your bag is going to be carried gently with white gloves. It's a suitcase.

As long as the bag isn't wrecked/broken, you aren't going to get much from AA. Bags are loaded and unloaded in pouring rain, snow, dust storms and are comingled with bags that have done the same.

If your stuff inside is good, id call it a day. The suitcase has done it's job

LovePrunes

there's some dirt on the outside of your suitcase
It's run through miles of dirty equipment and conveyors in the bowels of a greasy, dirty, basement of an airport, and thrown onto bag carts to go on and off airplane cargo holds
your suitcase doesn't look damaged to me; it looks like it did it's job of keeping what you packed inside from being harmed.
if you are wanting the exterior of your luggage to stay crisp and clean and looking sparkling new, you probably want to travel by car, not airline, and especially not checked luggage on an airline.

But what are YOUR expectations for your luggage? seems from your post they are different than this answer or the answer previous to mine.
Have you tried wiping off your luggage with a wet rag to clean it? That'd be my first suggestion. It really doesn't seem like much of a big deal to me what happened to your suitcase.
But regardless, the priority tag doesn't mean it gets treated nicer, just supposedly faster delivery to the bag claim device.

If on the other hand the stuff inside your suitcase was harmed, I'd show the AA bag service person. Presumably you would have already tried that if that was the case.

Bretteee

LOL some dirt? I have been flying on planes since 1954; since 67 years. Yes indeed I don't expect my bag to be nice and new forever. First time I see any luggage
arrive in this condition. I usually fly economy but was tempted into upgrading for only $111.

Possibly had I checked my bags in the normal check in area instead of the Priority area, this would not have happened.

American will indeed pay nothing. You can't just wipe this off. There are specialized companies that clean luggage.

Antarius

Sure, let's go with that.

We're trying to explain what priority tags mean. If you want to descend into hyperbole, then you'll still have dirty bags and no support.



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GrumpyYoungMan

Shouldn't have used that Delta ID tag on your AA flight. Those luggage handlers can be ruthless...

I clean up my luggage at home from time to time. A quick look at The Google turned up this and plenty of similar articles: https://travelbagquest.com/how-to-cl..._Nylon_Luggage

dw

That really does just look like dirt, not a substance that has stained the luggage. A wet microfiber will go a long way in cleaning that off.

Also, I haven't seen this lately, but airlines used to also have a disclaimer that was something like, "checked bags are designed to protect the contents inside"

bse118

Also: those Delta bag tags seem to have your home(?) address and a phone number on them. I'd suggest you might want to edit the photos so that your personal info is not posted on an open public website...

LovePrunes

Did you try to wipe off the dirt with a wet towel like somebody else suggested in addition to me? Or are you only going to Have somebody else do it for you? It just seems needlessly wasting your money for something that's going to get dirty again next time you fly.

Paying for an upgrade wouldn't have changed the route your baggage took where it picked up the dirt. I'm not sure what the extra $111 you mentioned would have gotten you other than a better place to sit inside the plane for yourself, your luggage handling doesn't Take a cleaner path through the conveyor system due to an upgrade, And you already had priority sticker on your luggage.

Of course everyone is disappointed when their bag comes out dirty but like everybody else says on here, It can be cleaned up and it's not designed to stay clean.

I definitely agree with the other poster, no need for your personal information to be in your photograph

craz

Not sure the DL tags are real, 2 different addresses, unless either its his kid, ex, parent etc etc

Bradhattan

Sorry OP! Look on the bright side...you get to use your pressure washer for a legitimate reason, finally! (Put against a wall lest it blast into the street and get run over by an Uber headed to the airport LOL).

AAway

As bizarre as it is that the OP is sharing her full name, address, and phone # (and that of a family member) with us, I'm sure they're real, given that it's the same last name and the addresses are close to each other.

Back OT, OP - you laughed upthread about Prunes suggesting the dirt can be cleaned off yourself. Is there's something else on your bag other than airport dirt that we're not seeing?

thatmikereed

Looks like the bag did its job - you should be pleased!

fdog

I've always suspected the Priority tags were there so the baggage folks would know which bags were to be delivered last

At least, on DL it really seems that way - on DL flights I ask that they be left off if flying domestic, the priority baggage is last out, every time. AA has a much better track record, as far as coming out first.

On the other hand, when international, they really do seem to be effective!

Now, as to the damage: I'm with others here, luggage is a consumable, like tires on a car. It's supposed to give up its life protecting your contents. I'd wipe it off - looks like your bags were out of the airplane first, and were placed on the bottom of the cart where it was dirty. Sucks but it happens.

All the best, James

PS - ScotchGard really works! I spray new luggage liberally and it sheds dirt amazingly

LovePrunes

Besides suitcase cleaning services, other ideas I've seen that failed on Shark Tank:

• garbage can washing business
• drop cloth paint removal company
• leaf rake cleaners

Happy New Year and safe travels to everyone