What is baggage limit in American Airlines?

  • Aug 01, 2024
What is baggage limit in American Airlines?

American Airlines is one of the nation’s largest and oldest airlines, with an extensive global network. It connects and serves a large number of destinations within the US and other countries through its major hubs. American Airlines is one of the main legacy carriers in the United States and it carries millions of passengers and their belongings annually. It is thus important to comprehend the allowance of American Airlines concerning baggage limits when flying with them. From this article, the reader can get adequate information about the commercial policies of American Airlines specifically concerning baggage allowances.

American Airlines has set certain rules about the costs paid in such situations and the quantity of bags you are permitted to bring on board. Among these particular specifics are your credit card, route, elite status tier, ticket type, and military service. In basic economy prices, however, travelers are only permitted to bring one personal item suited for the seat in front of them. Under local travel, one bag with a maximum limit of 50 pounds and 62 inches of total dimensions is the complimentary allotment of checked luggage per regular economy ticket. Compared to domestic flights, overseas flights have a greater allowance. Passengers with elite status or credit card companies qualified credit cards are permitted to make use of the free check-in baggage perks that are not overweight or large.

Carry-on baggage for all American Airlines flight passengers should be noted that they are free to bring one carry-on bag and one personal item on board without paying additional fees. These might have to follow weight and size requirements. The carry-on bag should weigh no more than 25 pounds and not be more than 45 linear inches in length, breadth, and height overall. Your carry-on, though—a handbag, laptop bag, or briefcase—must also be able to fit under the seat in front of your row. Should you try to bring carry-on items weighing more than 20 pounds without first permission from the airline or that beyond the designated measures, you will be required to check it in and pay a $35 domestic flight-only check-in charge. Please visit the AA website to learn more about the particular measurements of your carry-on and other personal belongings. Make sure this is done to avoid problems with luggage compliance during the boarding procedure.

Checked Baggage The number of checked bags you are allowed to carry for free is influenced by the type of ticket you purchase alongside other features like elite status. Here is a breakdown:

Basic Economy: Carrier does not permit free checked bags. The first bag costs $30 and the next is $35 when flying locally within the country. International routes have varying fees and the details can be seen on the AA website. One notable exception is that Basic Economy is offered to elite status members and active duty US military personnel, who are permitted one free checked bag that does not exceed 23 kilograms.

Main Cabin/Standard Economy: Domestic routes offer free baggage allowance for one piece of checked luggage for travelers. It is important to note that bags must not exceed 50 pounds and also their size must not exceed 62 inches in the linear sense. There will be an additional charge of $35 for the second checked baggage. In addition for the route to Canada/Mexico/Caribbean/, you get one free bag of 50 pounds. Restrict it to the free allowance of 70 pounds to all other international destinations and Brazil which allows only 63 pounds each.

First Class/Business Class: This means that irrespective of the destination, passengers are allowed to carry two bags that weigh not more than 70 pounds each for free. It is possible to apply for free checked bags and more of them with some limitations according to certain destinations. The same also applies to first-class tickets and the group bag check option, you can check 3 bags up to 70 pounds each for $150 and up to 5 more travelers can attach bags to your itinerary.

From the above information, it is clear that the baggage policy of American Airlines can be a bit complicated due to various route and ticket restrictive measures and exceptions. Therefore you should know whether you are given free check-in baggage, how many, and the size and weight allowance when getting to the airport. When you pay for excess baggage charges, you may otherwise negate the benefits accrued from the low-cost flight. If you are not confident about the baggage allowance on your particular route, you can always go through the official web page of AA or check their Twitter and consult with the support team.

Extra Weight Bags & Other Fees Baggage which is carried in the hold will attract additional charges for excessive weight of such baggage. These are $100 for bags weighing between 51-70 lbs, $200 for bags measuring between 71-100 lbs, and $300 for bags measuring more than 100 lbs, on domestic flights. Excess baggage fees are also applicable to bigger bags for which charges start from $75 for bags that exceed 62 linear inches up to 80 linear inches. This means that overweight and oversized baggage fees differ when traveling to international destinations and can be significantly higher than traveling within the US so try to stick within the free allowance. Members of the armed forces on active duty are entitled to travel free of these excess and oversized baggage charges even when traveling internationally.

Elite Status Baggage Allowance Additional baggage allowance and oversized, overweight, and excess baggage are free for the AAdvantage members from Gold status upward, and the airline’s check baggage policy allows up to 10 pieces of checked baggage. Other status tiers such as Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Executive Platinum are also a step up in that they provide increased luggage limit benefits. For instance, the domestic Executive Platinum fliers are allowed to have five free checked baggage that have a limit of 70 pounds per baggage. Baggage fees are a great benefit of obtaining ‘elite status’ – thousands of dollars could be saved per year, especially for the regular traveler.

Credit Card Perks It is also worth checking the free checked bag allowance with your credit card: credit card providers such as Barclays or Citi, which offer the American Airlines credit card, will provide the same additional free checked bag allowance as the elite status tiers. As I had indicated most cards such as the AAdvantage MileUpSM Card come with a complimentary checked bag for up to 50 pounds on AA-operated flights. Even some premium cards like Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard include perks like 2x free checked baggage at 70 pounds and first/business class domestic baggage service charge. Having an AAdvantage credit card is so advantageous that it can give up to $200 in checked baggage fees per trip plus the First Group boarding perks.

Current enlisted members of the United States Armed Forces. In addition to other exceptions as mentioned above such as for elite status, active duty US Military

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