AA limits Dominican luggage

Thanks for the information, yet this is nothing new for this time of year. The airline is only protecting itself and travelers from the indulgences of passengers determined to bring everything including the kitchen sink as carry-on and check-in baggage as gifts or other during the upcoming holiday season.

The route cause of this is many expatriate Dominicans have a compulsion to come back home for the Christmas holidays; the government almost always grants an exemption from taxes for gifts, especially electric powered devices, they will wave the goods through airport customs; the former is an open invitation for returning Domincans to pack TV's, stero home entertainment centers, sinks, and etc into their luggage. Ignorant or obstinate passengers with excess baggage feel it is their right to have excess. The result is chaos at the airport check-in, more baggage/cargo per passenger than the aircraft and cargo handlers can manage.

The justifiably angry passengers are the ones that have to put up with the bullfeathers caused by the ones insistant to bring the kitchen sink. Regards, PJT

You guys are all correct but i failed to see the name SANTO DOMINGO DOMINICAN REPUBLIC anywhere AMERICAN AIRLINES flies not EAGLE but AMERICAN.

They have every right to b@$ch and complain about this policy because it is unjust. They're paying the highest price per seat mile and receiving no latitude. While the non Latin routes pay the lower price per seat mile and get a more lenient carry on policy. The Latin routes are the most profitable month in and month out throughout the year. Why pay $200 for a microwave here while you can buy that same one for $25.00 at Walmart. AA should allow for a more liberal policy this time of year for those returning home for the holidays. The expats catches crap throughout the year while returning home to visit love ones. Make it a Merry Xmas one for all. Signed: CLIPPED WINGS aka ISLAND TREATS.

Eli,
I'm not referring to Eagle but to AA out of JFK-EWR and BOS to SDQ and POP. The expats carry on policy is different than the non Latin routes.

what i meant was that i failed to see the D.R. on the list of countries that had the ban, at least in the report i read in the newspaper and on the net.

eli said:

what i meant was that i failed to see the D.R. on the list of countries that had the ban, at least in the report i read in the newspaper and on the net.

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no it's not in the papers or net see ya at the airport

Island Treats said:

They have every right to b@$ch and complain about this policy because it is unjust. They're paying the highest price per seat mile and receiving no latitude.

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It sounds like you have an axe to grind with AA, but the baggage policy has nothing to do with the fares nor is it unjust. If everybody was paying a buck round trip the policy would be the same. The embargo serves to protect the aircraft, prevent it from being overloaded, allows every passenger equality in the amount of baggage he or she will transit. Also remember the aircraft carries cargo. It is cargo that really profitable for the airline and the aircraft has to allot space for cargo and include baggage. Without cargo, passenger ticket prices would really be off-the-wall.

Let's put in simple terms, if you are traveling to grandma's house for the Thanksgiving Holiday and it is a hundred miles away, you intend to stay a week. You are traveling in a four door Camry with four friends. Each friend shows up with a carry-on, two large suitcases, and a foot square box. All of it has to be transited inside the car because it is raining. It's not going to fit. You decide what to do. Regards, PJT

nothing new here

AA's policy of no boxed items to be carried on is not new. In fact it is older than "9-11" At least 3 years ago I had to completly undo a box at the airport and repack it into send tru luggage. I have seen dozens of examples of this in Feb. Sept. March--time of year doesnt matter.

BTW- Im no fan of AA and have no axe to grind

JOHN

American says in santo domingo office: ( American Airlines desmiente que a Republica Dominicana limite los equipajes, American Airlines no limitar? el equipaje a la RD ) American says that in a National Daily published that news today Wednesday.

I have flown out of Nashville, Tennessee to Puerta Plata for the last 3 years and the AA policy has always been 2 checked (70 lbs. limit) and 1 carry-on (size limit only). Of couse women were allowed 1 carry-on and their purse so AA, being politically gender correct, now allows men to bring 1 carry-on and a fanny pack (man purse) or brief case.

Did AA allow something other than this on the JFK flight?

Glow

This is a good thread of information and I wish I had the info last year. I was moving to the DR in January last year and had to literally throw away tons of my possesions at the ticket counter in Boston. I had checked on AA website before I started packing to see what the limits were and NOTHING was listed for Santo Domingo. I had also called AA and was told I could pay for extra baggage. I had tons of things for the move and at the same time a suitcase filled with toys,books,clothes and such for the children for the Domincan holiday. Plus I was bringing personal items for a friend from NYC who was living inthe DR. When I arrived at Logan there was a VERY small sign on the counter with the limit policy for Dec.14th through Jan. 8th. Needless to say I WAS one of those extremely irritated people at the ticket counter. The funny (not really) part was that AA sold me a much bigger suitcase so I could take more. I had to empty 3 suitcases and try to fit them into this humoungous bag they sold me! Needless to say not all of it fit. AA did offer to let me mail my suitcases home at $100 a pop. Big freekin' deal, I had no address in the USA to send them. SOOOOOOOO I bought thier bag for $75, they gave me a giant garbage bag for the things I had to choose to throw away, I proceeded to start whipping things from my bags. I had to throw away two pieces of empty luggage. I am a very easy going and positive person but...... let me tell you I was LOUDLY swearing my head off. Iwas traveling with my best friend of 30 years and she had NEVER seen me even raise my voice at anyone before that time. She was scared of me and stepped back and let me throw my fit. The poor girl at the ticket counter tried to help but I told her that I knew it was not her fault but she had better back off. I told her I was going to swear and throw a mental fit until I was finished . Of course with all of this my friend and I barely made our flight. I was not the only person at the counter trying to decide what to throw away either. It was crazy with all the poor Dominicans not speaking English and not understanding why they had to trow away the gifts they had worked so hard to take to family. It is so ironic that the DR allows tax free items at this time and AA is the largest airline serving the DR and yet they choose to hurt thier customers at this time of year. Another point is that flights to the DR are much more expensive at this time because AA knows people are going to pay it. AHHHH there, I got pissed all over again, and got it off my chest again. Please travelers be aware of the policies at this time of year. Do I still fly AA? Yup Why? Because they do have some good deals at times, service is ususally good, and they have direct flights from various areas close to me.

Dulce,
I'm sorry you had to experience this type of thing. I don't understand why the policies are so different for the Dominican market.

Thanks Island
AA did nothing to compensate me for my loss either. It cost me lots of $$$. I think they make lots of extra $$$ at this time and with the policies they enforce during other peak travel times to the DR.
Another part of the story is that on my friends return trip home she was inconvienced by a stop in Miami when it was supposed to be a direct flight and they gave her a credit towards another flight for it. Go figurewhat thier ideas on customer service are. I am a much more frequent traveler to the DR than her. Sometimes life is not fair.