- American Airlines has lost more than $70,000 worth of baggage containing audiovisual equipment.
- Regular flyer Ashkan Aghassi told Insider he’s “never experienced anything like it.”
- The airline has considered the cases lost, but its claim for compensation has not been resolved.
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American Airlines lost a passenger’s luggage with more than $70,000 worth of audiovisual equipment he needed for an exhibit.
Ashkan Aghassi, a member of the top tier of the airline’s frequent flyer program, traveled from Phoenix to Dallas on May 26. When he landed, he was waiting for his two Pelican cases containing the gear, but they didn’t arrive.
Aghassi told Insiders that as soon as he realized his luggage was delayed, he filed a lawsuit because “the Pelican boxes and their contents were well over $100,000 in value,” but he was only able to get receipts worth $72,796 – Submit dollars.
Insider checked a copy of the report on missing baggage, flight bookings and equipment receipts.
Two days later, he called the baggage department and was told they had been found in Dallas and were being “taken to Long Beach Airport” and delivered to his home. The promised delivery never came, Aghassi said.
“I called baggage control and got through to an agent who informed me that the file had been closed for some reason and that the information the previous agent had given me was incorrect – the baggage was not found.”
The agent, whose name was shared with Insider, reopened the allegation and said he would go after Aghassi.
AA policy is to wait at least 30 days after initial contact before an investigation can take place. In late June, Aghassi spoke up and said he was frustrated by the lack of updates.
On July 5, he received an email saying the luggage was considered lost. The representative asked Aghassi to send him device receipts to complete the claim and make a payment. After that he heard nothing more.
His business insurance does not cover the equipment as it was transported as passenger baggage and not with a freight company.
Aghassi concluded, “I spend tens of thousands of dollars [AA] and its partners annually. During my more than 1.5 million airline miles, my luggage has been delayed or lost several times, but I have never experienced anything like this.”
Insiders contacted American Airlines for comment.