REUTERS/Bjorn Malmquist
American Airlines is being sued for refusing to refund its $25 checked-baggage fee after allegedly losing one Washington woman’s suitcase. The class action suit, brought about by Danielle Covarrubias, is asking for $5 million from the airline.
This is the first lawsuit since the airline (and most others) instituted a baggage fee in 2008. Some 2,400 pieces of luggage handled by American Airlines are lost or damaged every day, according to court papers cited by ABC News. American Airlines had no comment on the lawsuit or Covarrubias’s claim.
Covarrubias says paying a baggage fee should insure that luggage should arrive at its correct destination “in a timely fashion,” but the tactic seems to be just one more way to raise revenue for airlines. The U.S. Department of Transportation requires that passengers be compensated for toiletries and clothing in the event of misplaced luggage, but these reimbursements are rarely paid in a timely fashion. (via ABC News)