HERE IS THE REPLY I RECEIVED FROM AA.
I can understand how disappointed you must have been when you approached the ticket counter to check in for your flight, only to be told we couldn't accommodate you due to the "cut-off" for checked baggage acceptance. I am sorry for any resulting inconvenience. Please allow me to explain.
As a consequence of heightened security measures, it became necessary to establish specific airport procedures to allow ample time for the careful handling of checked baggage. Accordingly, specific cut-off time periods were put into place for the acceptance of checked baggage. While the cut-off times vary slightly based on facility and staffing issues associated with domestic and international airports, we strictly adhere to these cut-off times to give Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel and airline employees the necessary time to complete TSA mandated baggage security procedures. In the interest of security, we cannot deviate from these baggage acceptance deadlines. Again, however, we sincerely regret that your travel plans were disrupted as a result.
You can find detailed information about baggage acceptance requirements and cut-offs on AA.com. From the AA.com home page, select Customer Service Plan, located at the very bottom of the page. This will take you to the Customer Commitment page where you will see a heading entitled Conditions of Carriage, click on the available link to be taken to the Conditions of Carriage page. Then choose #7 under American Airlines Conditions of Carriage and view Check-in Requirements and Baggage Acceptance Cutoff Times. For easier access, you may click the following link: Conditions of Carriage.
Regarding your comments about overbooked flights, many customers make reservations that they subsequently will cancel or simply not use, and so we -- and, indeed, all airlines -- overbook flights. Because of the large number of cancellations and no-shows, it takes between two and three reservations to board one customer at departure. Without overbooking, many customers would be denied reservations but seats would go unused -- an inconvenience to customers, and a loss of revenue to American. Our intention is not to sell more seats than we have, but rather to ensure that as many seats as possible will actually be used.
Our seat management system is highly sophisticated, and usually we are able to accommodate every confirmed customer who shows up for a given flight. Inevitably, though, there will be rare occasions when there are not enough seats on the aircraft to accommodate all the customers who wish to travel.
Regardless of the circumstances under which we could not accommodate you on your scheduled flight, this situation should have been handled with professionalism and consideration. In view of your comments about courtesy, I've shared the details of your experience with our General Manager in Los Angeles.
Again, I'm sorry things worked out like they did but we hope you understand the important security issues associated with checked baggage acceptance. We're working hard to make your overall travel experience the best it can be and we hope to welcome you aboard again soon.
Sincerely,
Stephen R. Jeffery
Customer Relations
American Airlines
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