What American Airlines Customers Need To Know

Author Aimee Thomas

June 19th, 2023 10:46 AM

If you’re an American Airlines customer who travels abroad often, you might want to brace yourselves for a hefty fee. The airline giant announced that starting June 2023, all basic economy ticket holders will be charged $75 for their first checked bag. This is a major difference from the previous policy where international travelers with basic economy tickets could check one bag for free. We’ll share everything you need to know about the new policy and what it means for your future travels with American Airlines.

The new policy may come as a surprise for regular American Airlines customers, given that most airlines offer at least one free checked bag on international flights. If you’re a family traveling with several pieces of checked luggage, the new fee could quickly add up and add up quickly. The airline claims that the change will help simplify the checking process and that customers can choose to upgrade to a higher fare if they don’t want to pay the fee. Which to me doesn’t make any sense, it’s still more money coming out of your pocket, just going to them in another way.

It’s also important to note that the new policy goes into effect immediately

Anyone who purchases a basic economy ticket for an international flight will be charged the $75 fee. This also impacts customers who have already booked their flights for 2023 and beyond. If you’ve already purchased a basic economy ticket with American Airlines for an international flight after June 2023, you’ll need to factor in the new fee when you check your bags at the airport.

One potential workaround to the new fee is to join the American Airlines AAdvantage loyalty program. Members of the program are entitled to one free checked bag on domestic flights and now on international flights as well. Also, elite members of the program, like Platinum or Executive Platinum members, are entitled to two free checked bags and can also waive fees for overweight or oversized baggage. If you’re a frequent flyer with American Airlines, joining the loyalty program may be a smart move to save on luggage fees.

If you’re traveling with a group or family and are looking to save on luggage fees, there are a few tricks to keep in mind. Firstly, try to pack light and only bring the essentials. Secondly, consider sharing luggage space with your travel partner and only check one or two bags for the entire group. Lastly, look for alternative airlines that offer free checked bags, especially if you’re flying to a destination that’s serviced by multiple airlines.

Nothing gets cheaper, everything just keeps getting more expensive. But that is what you need to know before you head to the airport to catch a flight on American Airlines.

Listen to Aimee+Shawn weekday mornings from 6-10 on 102.7 VGS

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Aimee Thomas is the morning show co-host of Aimee + Shawn on 102.7 VGS. She has been VGS since the birth of the station in 2022 and has been with Beasley Media Group for nine years doing mornings at various stations in the cluster. Before working in radio Aimee was a bartender at a local restaurant in Las Vegas when a local radio veteran thought she would be perfect in radio because of her crazy stories, knowledge of pop culture, and contagious laugh. Aimee loves writing about new recipes she creates in her kitchen, her favorite artists and actors, and being a mom of two boys.

Las Vegas On The List Of Cheapest Travel Destinations

Well, it’s shaping up to be a pretty big year in Las Vegas for visitors from outside of the state. People are coming to our neighborhood for all kinds of reasons. Brand new gaming venues are opening. Music festivals are happening throughout the year. Sporting events are becoming more and more plentiful. And now there’s another reason for tourists to put Sin City on their list of places to see. Many travel websites, like Kayak, just released a list of the cheapest places to travel to in 2023. And Las Vegas is on it.

Kayak made the list based on a variety of factors. First was who had the cheapest flights. We know specials are offered all the time on flights to Vegas. Especially these smaller airlines like Frontier, Allegiant and Spirit. I’ve flown from Vegas to California, Washington, Utah and Montana for very low fares.

The second factor Kayak considered was the price of hotels. Again, we have specials all the time in Las Vegas. And with rewards programs at our casinos, there’s a lot of money to be saved on lodging here. Add in our time shares and AirBnbs and you’ve got a lot of the cheapest options for visitors coming here.

The final considerations Kayak included in their list are which destinations on the web get the most searches. Also travel restrictions and security concerns in each area searched.

So where does Las Vegas land on the list of cheapest places to travel to? We took only the cities in the United States to put on our list. And, thanks to Travel and Leisure, we’ve gathered the average cost of flight and hotel it takes to travel to each place. Check out where Las Vegas falls on this list of top 13 cheapest places in the United States to travel to in 2023. – Wendy Rush