Check Your Surfboard For $30, American Slashes Bag Fees For Sports, Music Equipment
FORT WORTH, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — American is eliminating oversize bag fees for common sports and music equipment, effective for travel on or after May 21.
The change to its policies arrives just in time for summer, making travel more pocket-friendly for athletic or festival-loving fliers.
Customers can check common oversize sports and music equipment as standard baggage, up to the maximum allowed dimensions and within the weight requirements.
American will accept these oversize items as a standard checked bag without an additional oversize charge. The checked oversize bag counts toward a customer's normal baggage allowance. For example, customers traveling within the United States, who used to pay $150 to check one oversize item such as a surfboard, will now pay $30 — the cost of a standard first bag — if the weight is less than 50 lbs.
Customers traveling with skis or a snowboard will now be able to check in an equipment bag with the skis or snowboard as one bag (up to 50 lbs./62 in.).
Due to special handling requirements, oversize items such as antlers, hang gliders, scuba tanks and kite/windsurfing items will continue to incur a flat $150 fee.