American Airlines bag overweight fee for connection flight with Qatar Airways
I was charged $500 ($250 for each baggage) by American Airlines as overweight baggage fee for my transit flight with Qatar Airways. The bag weights were 60lb and 69lb, and both were less than 62 inches in dimension. I was flying economy, which allows two free luggage. These are the only two I checked in.
My flight itinerary is RIC - ORD (AA), ORD - DOH (QR), DOH - RGN (QR). The advertised overweight fee is $65 on Qatar Air website, and $100 on American Air.
When I complained this to American Air, customer relations rep insisted the amount charged was correct without explaining me why. Was I charged correctly? Which policy was used in calculating the fee? Where else can I complain to get refund, if the charge was incorrect? I would appreciate your help/suggestions.
Best Answer
In almost all cases, the baggage rules of the first carrier on an itinerary are what apply. This is mostly for practical reasons since the first check-in agent is the only one to see them.
So, the fee schedule used would be that of American, not Qatar.
But, the only way to pay $500 for two bags is to pay both Oversize ($150) and Overweight ($100). So, if the agent determined both were overweight and overside, $500 sounds right. They should be able to tell you exactly what baggage fees were applied on your PNR. You should have also gotten a receipt at the counter.
Unfortunately, contesting this will be very hard, if even possible since you essentially agreed to the fees when checking in. If the bags were <62in, that was the time to measure them.
This pattern applies not only to weight restrictions, but over all fees and benefits as well. For example, if you have Frequent Flyer status on the first carrier, but not on the second, your will still get you bags checked though free.
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How much does Qatar Airways charge for overweight baggage?
*For flights between Qatar and Africa, the additional baggage rate per additional piece is 100 USD (QAR 370)....Flights to/from Africa*, Argentina, Brazil, Canada^ and the USA (rates per piece)Subsequent extra pieceOverweight piece - between 23-32kg (50-70lb)**200 USD52 USDDoes American Airlines charge for overweight baggage?
American Airlines overweight baggage is considered any bag weighing more than 50lbs. The fees for checking overweight baggage are $100 for bags weighing 51-70lbs and $200 for bags weighing 71-100lbs. These fees are charged in addition to any standard, excess or oversized baggage fees.Do you have to recheck baggage on connecting flights Qatar Airways?
No need to check in again. Also, according to Qatar's baggage page, they explain that when connecting to a UA or AC flight in the US or Canada, your checked baggage allowance is the Qatar allowance and not the lower UA/AC allowance. That points to their checking bags through to the final destination.What happens if your luggage is overweight Qatar Airways?
The baggage fees for overweight bags weighing between 51 \u2013 70lb (23 \u2013 32kg) is USD 50 per bag when paid online, and USD 65 per bag when paid at the airport. Carrying an extra bag on flights to/from the Americas will cost you USD 200 per bag if you pay online and USD 250 per bag if you pay at the airport.Qatar Airways Baggage Allowance 2022 | Extra Baggage Allowance
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