Independent profile. Not owned, sponsored or endorsed by American Airlines.
American Airlines Reviews & Complaints
American Airlines, Inc. is a U.S. passenger airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and a subsidiary of American Airlines Group Inc. Its refund, baggage and complaint rules, federal refund and bumping compensation rights, how to complain to the U.S. Department of Transportation, DOT fines against the airline, pending lawsuits, and its BBB and Trustpilot profiles are set out below, separately from the consumer complaints posted on this site.
Contacts
- Official website (aa.com)aa.com ↗
Customer service & general contact
- AAdvantage customer service (miles, account, award travel; U.S. and Canada)1-800-882-8880 6 complaints mention this number
- Customer service plan (American Airlines)aa.com/i18n/customer-service/support/customer-s… ↗
Other contacts
- Reservations (also AAdvantage enrollment)1-800-433-7300 9 complaints mention this number
- Conditions of carriage (American Airlines)aa.com/i18n/customer-service/support/conditions… ↗
- DOT: file an air travel consumer complainttransportation.gov/airconsumer/file-consumer-co… ↗
Locations
- Headquarters1 Skyview Drive Fort Worth TX 76155
- Mailing addressAmerican Airlines Customer Relations, P.O. Box 619619 DFW Airport TX 75261-9616
American Airlines refunds, baggage claims and complaints: rules, deadlines and where to escalate
The steps below follow American's own Customer Service Plan and Conditions of Carriage and the federal rules enforced by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The complaints posted on this site are older than today's rules, so use these steps rather than the outcomes described in those posts.
Start with the airline. At the airport, gate and baggage agents can often rebook, arrange meals or hotels after a disruption, and open a bag report on the spot. After the trip, write to American Airlines Customer Relations, P.O. Box 619619, DFW Airport, TX 75261-9616, or use the customer service contact options on aa.com. Give the record locator, flight numbers and dates, say exactly what you want (refund, reimbursement, miles), and attach tickets, receipts and bag reports. American's plan says customers can expect at least an acknowledgement within 30 days and a resolution within 60 days, which matches DOT's requirement that airlines acknowledge complaints within 30 days and answer them in writing within 60 days. Passengers with a disability can ask at the airport for a Complaint Resolution Official, a specially trained employee; American says a corporate official is available to support them around the clock.
When you are owed a refund. Under DOT's refund rule (14 CFR Part 260), an airline must refund the ticket, including taxes and fees, if it cancels a flight or significantly changes or delays it and you choose not to travel and do not accept a rebooking, travel credit or other compensation. A significant change includes departing or arriving 3 hours or more off schedule on a domestic itinerary or 6 hours or more on an international one, a different departure or arrival airport, more connections, or an involuntary downgrade (in which case the fare difference is owed). The refund must be automatic, without a separate request, and paid within 7 business days for credit card purchases or 20 calendar days for other forms of payment. Any travel credit offered instead must be valid for at least five years. A refund is not owed if you take the changed or rebooked flight, or if you cancel a nonrefundable ticket while the flight operates as scheduled.
Read the rest of this section
Requesting a refund from American. American's plan says refunds can be requested online, through Reservations at 1-800-433-7300, or by mail to American Airlines, Attention: Passenger Refunds, 4000 E. Sky Harbor Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85034, and that eligible credit card refunds for U.S. purchases are processed within 7 business days of receiving the request and required information. For tickets bought on aa.com or through Reservations at least 7 days before departure, the plan allows a full refund if you cancel within 24 hours of buying; reservations booked as part of a group do not qualify.
Delays and cancellations: what is not owed. No federal rule requires U.S. airlines to pay cash compensation because a flight was delayed or cancelled; in November 2025 DOT withdrew a proposal that would have required it. What you are owed is the refund above if you choose not to travel, plus what the airline commits to in its own customer service plan. DOT notes that the ten largest U.S. airlines, American among them, guarantee a meal and free rebooking when a delay or cancellation is within the airline's control, and it lists each airline's commitments on its delay and cancellation dashboard at flightrights.gov.
Bumped from an oversold flight. Before bumping anyone, the airline must ask for volunteers, who can negotiate their own compensation. If you are bumped involuntarily from a flight departing a U.S. airport after checking in and reaching the gate on time, the oversales rule (14 CFR Part 250) entitles you to denied boarding compensation based on your one-way fare and how late the airline gets you to your destination: nothing if you arrive within 1 hour of the original arrival time; 200% of the fare, up to $1,075, if you arrive 1 to 2 hours late on a domestic trip (1 to 4 hours on an international one); and 400% of the fare, up to $2,150, if you arrive later than that. The airline must pay in cash or by check on the day and at the place you are bumped, or within 24 hours if you leave on a replacement flight before the payment is ready, and must give you a written statement of your rights. American's Conditions of Carriage say it will hand over a check or travel credit the same day at the airport or mail it within 24 hours. No compensation is owed if a smaller aircraft is substituted for operational or safety reasons, on aircraft with fewer than 30 seats, or on flights to the United States from abroad.
Lost, delayed or damaged bags. Report a missing or damaged bag to an American baggage service agent before you leave the airport and keep the file reference. American's Conditions of Carriage set these deadlines: a delayed bag within 4 hours of arriving at your final destination; a damaged bag before leaving the airport or within 6 hours of receiving it; then a Passenger Property Questionnaire within 30 days of the first report to claim compensation; any lawsuit over damage, delay or loss within 2 years. While a bag is delayed, American's plan says it will compensate reasonable interim expenses, so keep receipts. On domestic trips American's liability is up to $4,700 per passenger for lost or damaged checked baggage, or up to $5,000 if you declared excess value, subject to claim verification; cash, jewelry, cameras and other excluded items are listed in the Conditions of Carriage, and normal wear and tear is not covered. On international trips the Montreal Convention, or the Warsaw Convention where it applies, sets the limits. Wheelchairs and other mobility or medical devices have their own report deadlines: 24 hours (domestic) or 21 days (international) for a delayed device, and 24 hours (domestic) or 7 days (international) for a damaged one.
Bag fee refunds. American's Conditions of Carriage call bag fees non-refundable, but DOT's refund rule requires the airline to refund a checked bag fee when the bag is lost or significantly delayed. A domestic bag counts as significantly delayed if it is not delivered within 12 hours of your flight's arrival; on international flights the limit is 15 hours for flights of 12 hours or less and 30 hours for longer flights. You must file a mishandled baggage report with the airline to get this refund. Fees for other paid extras, such as seat selection or Wi-Fi, must also be refunded when the service is not provided through no fault of yours.
If American does not resolve it: DOT. Complaints about an airline go to DOT's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection, online at transportation.gov/airconsumer or by mail to Office of Aviation Consumer Protection, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590, with your full contact details and complete trip information. DOT sends service complaints to the airline, which must reply to you and copy DOT; DOT does not investigate every service complaint but reviews them in targeted samples and uses them for enforcement. Disability and discrimination complaints are forwarded to the airline, which must respond to you and to DOT, and DOT then reviews whether a violation occurred and mails you its findings. DOT is the right agency because federal law gives it authority over unfair and deceptive practices by airlines: the FTC Act does not apply to air carriers, and state consumer laws on airline prices and services are largely preempted. Safety concerns go to the FAA; screening and security concerns go to TSA at 1-866-289-9673.
Paid by card and the refund never came? If American owes a refund under these rules and does not pay it, you can also dispute the charge with your card issuer. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, a written billing-error notice must reach the issuer within 60 days after it sent the first statement showing the problem, so do not wait for a long complaint process to finish before raising it.
Booked through a travel site? If an online travel agency such as Expedia, Orbitz or Travelocity was the merchant of record (the company named on your card statement), it must refund the airfare when the airline cancels or significantly changes the flight, and you should contact it first. Refunds of bag fees and other optional fees are still requested from the airline. The 24-hour free cancellation rule applies to tickets bought from the airline, not to agency bookings.
Company Information
- Legal name
- American Airlines, Inc.
- Business type
- U.S. passenger airline (American Airlines, Inc., a subsidiary of American Airlines Group Inc.), headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas
- Website
- aa.comSource: American Airlines website, checked 2026-10-14
- Headquarters
- Fort Worth, TXSource: SEC EDGAR company record for American Airlines, Inc., business address, checked 2026-10-28
- Owned by
- American Airlines Group Inc.Source: American Airlines Group 2025 Form 10-K, Exhibit 21.1 subsidiary list, checked 2026-10-14
American Airlines, Inc. is a major U.S. airline. It files its own reports with the SEC and is owned by the publicly traded American Airlines Group Inc. Its consumer practices are overseen by the U.S. Department of Transportation and its flight safety by the Federal Aviation Administration. DOT has fined it several times; the largest penalty, $50 million assessed in October 2024 over wheelchair assistance and damaged wheelchairs, was settled without American admitting a violation and was amended by DOT in December 2025, and a $4.1 million penalty in 2023 concerned long tarmac delays. BBB rates the airline A, and its profile lists more than 1,600 complaints in the last 12 months, a count BBB itself says should be weighed against the size of the business; Trustpilot reviewers give it 1.3 out of 5. These sources measure different things and are not combined. Most problems people report are service disputes over refunds, bags and delays, which have fixed federal rules and deadlines, set out below.
Independent Sources
Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.
Reviews & Complaints on USAComplaints
USAComplaints currently maintains 154 historical complaints about American Airlines, published between 2000 and 2013. No approved complaints have been published on this site during the last three years. For a current reputation snapshot, see the independent sources on this page.
- Lost baggage returned after 17 days with no compensation
- Gift card of $150 never activated after charge was posted
- Received fake American Airlines ticket notification email in the UK
- Two unordered airline tickets issued for April 20th
- Received fake American Airlines ticket emails with download links
Show 15 more on this page
- Airline would not seat parents next to two year old
- Gift card used by someone else and airline refuses to restore balance
- Cold cabin, nasty staff and poor food on Argentina flights
- Flights delayed by mechanical problems on Punta Cana trip
- Delayed Flight Caused Missed Connection and Cruise Embarkation
- Fax Travel Package Offer With Airline Logo, No Reply to Emails
- Fell and Injured at O'Hare After Being Misdirected
- Injured at O'Hare After Employee Ordered Me Back
- Booking Fee and Cancellation Fee Charged After Failed Booking
- Refund Denied for Unused Return Flight After Medical Rebooking
- AAdvantage Miles Promised Never to Expire Now Expiring
- Missed Flight After Delayed Upgrade Processing and No Reimbursement
- Enjoyed the Flight and Would Fly Again
- Rude Treatment, Overhead Bin Claim and Broken Toilets on Flight
- Charged $150 change fee to get $181 fare difference back
Complaint Themes
Had an experience with American Airlines? Tell other people what happened.
Submit a ComplaintAmerican Airlines complaints: posts on this site, BBB, Trustpilot and DOT
Complaints posted here. 154 published complaint reports are linked to this profile. They were posted between 2000 and 2013 and are consumers' own accounts, not findings. The problems they describe most often are staff and customer service conduct; checked bags that were lost, delayed, damaged or missing items; refunds, cancellation and change fees; delays, missed connections and passengers stranded overnight; and AAdvantage miles. A few further posts name American together with a travel agency, a card issuer or a partner airline, such as Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia, Citi or Mexicana, and are shown as related posts rather than as complaints about American alone.
BBB. BBB's profile for American Airlines in Fort Worth gives the airline a BBB rating of A; American is not BBB Accredited. The profile shows 6,854 complaints in the last 3 years, 1,632 of them in the last 12 months, and an average of 1.07 out of 5 stars across 1,101 customer reviews. BBB itself notes that complaint volume should be weighed against a company's size.
Trustpilot. Trustpilot's page for aa.com shows a TrustScore of 1.3 from 3,591 reviews. The profile is unclaimed, meaning American has not registered as its owner, and Trustpilot does not check the facts in reviews.
DOT. The U.S. Department of Transportation publishes a monthly Air Travel Consumer Report with the number of complaints it received about each airline, together with airline-reported figures on delays, cancellations, bumping and mishandled baggage. BBB, Trustpilot, DOT and this site count complaints in different ways, so the figures are not added together.
U.S. DOT fines and orders against American Airlines
DOT's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection has issued the following enforcement orders against American Airlines, Inc. since 2015. They are administrative orders, not court judgments; amounts and quoted wording come from the orders themselves.
- Order 2015-9-10 (September 2015). Oversales rule and misreporting of involuntarily denied boarding; the order directs American to cease and desist and 'assesses American a compromise civil penalty of $20,000'.
- Order 2015-11-3 (November 2015). The 24-hour reservation hold rule (14 CFR 259.5(b)(4)) and the ban on unfair and deceptive practices, concerning a March 17, 2015 mistaken-fare sale of business class tickets to China. The order directs American to cease and desist and states no dollar penalty: it says American 'has agreed to compensate the holders of cancelled reservations by offering them either a zero dollar economy class ticket ... or a reduced price business class ticket' and that 'This agreement is in compromise of civil penalties otherwise payable'.
- Order 2016-8-30 (August 2016). The oversales rule (14 CFR Part 250) and the domestic baggage liability rule (14 CFR Part 254); the order directs American to cease and desist and 'assesses American $45,000 in civil penalties'.
- Consent Order 2016-12-10 (served December 14, 2016). Tarmac delay rule: the order concerns twenty domestic flights at Charlotte on February 16, 2013, six at Dallas/Fort Worth on February 27, 2015 and one at Shreveport on October 22, 2015 that remained on the tarmac for more than three hours without an opportunity to deplane; cease and desist and '$1.6 million in civil penalties'. American consented 'without admitting or denying the violations'.
- Consent Order 2016-12-12 (December 14, 2016). Consolidated complaints by three complainants alleging that American misrepresented carrier-imposed surcharges as 'taxes'; the order finds that American violated 14 CFR 399.84(a), 49 U.S.C. 41712 and the cease-and-desist provisions of Order 2013-12-6, directs cease and desist, 'assesses a compromise civil penalty of $65,000' and dismisses the complaints.
- Consent Order 2017-1-11 (January 11, 2017). A disability complaint about documentation of a passenger's service animal (14 CFR 382.141); the order directs cease and desist from similar documentation failures and training procedures, states no penalty amount and dismisses the complaint.
- Consent Order 2017-7-9 (July 2017). DOT's refund rules (14 CFR 259.5(b)(5) and Part 374) and 49 U.S.C. 41712; cease and desist and '$250,000 in civil penalties'.
- Consent Order 2019-2-23 (February 2019). Tarmac delay rule: the order says American permitted 10 domestic and 3 international flights to remain on the tarmac beyond the limits without an opportunity to deplane; cease and desist and '$1 million in civil penalties'.
- Consent Order 2023-8-20 (August 28, 2023). Tarmac delay rule for 43 domestic flights held more than three hours; $4.1 million in civil penalties, of which $2,050,000 was due within 30 days and $2,050,000 was credited to American for compensation given to passengers. The order records that American agreed to it 'without conceding or waiving its legal position'.
- Order 2024-10-15 (October 23, 2024). Air Carrier Access Act and 14 CFR Part 382: DOT found American failed in numerous cases to provide adequate wheelchair assistance from 2019 to 2023 and that passengers reported thousands of damaged or delayed wheelchairs and scooters; $50,000,000 in civil penalties assessed. As DOT's 2025 amending order describes it, $25 million was to be due and payable to the U.S. Treasury in three equal installments and $25 million of the assessed penalty was to be credited to American for specified costs (equipment to reduce wheelchair damage, a wheelchair tagging system, goodwill compensation to affected passengers, and hub control center employees). American's position, quoted in DOT's later order, is that it 'strongly believes that it substantially complies with the ACAA and Part 382' and enters the settlement 'for settlement purposes only and does not admit any violation'.
- Order 2025-12-5 (December 9, 2025). Amends the 2024 order: American remains assessed $50 million. The order says American had already paid approximately $8.3 million to the U.S. Treasury and that the remaining approximately $16.7 million of the Treasury portion would, instead of being paid, be replaced by required expenditures of $16.8 million to benefit passengers with disabilities ($16.1 million on equipment and systems for wheelchair handling; $700,000 credited for compensation provided to affected passengers).
Dismissals in July 2026 (not penalties). DOT's list shows two Orders of Dismissal dated July 2, 2026. Order 2026-7-2 (Edelman v. American Airlines) concerns complaints about 'alleged misrepresentation of carrier-imposed fees as "taxes"'; Order 2026-7-4 (Borsetti v. American Airlines) concerns a complaint filed April 17, 2015 alleging that the carrier overcharged certain taxes for reward flights. Each order dismisses the complaint 'based on the totality of the circumstances, including American's implementation of corrective measures'.
Earlier and other orders. DOT's enforcement-orders list also includes earlier orders against American Airlines, Inc. (2011-2-14, 2013-11-6, 2013-12-4 and 2013-12-6) and against its former regional subsidiary American Eagle Airlines, Inc. (2011-11-13 and 2013-7-18), Order 2019-5-12 on complaints by Food Allergy Research and Education, Inc. and by Alicia White, and several dismissals of individual complaints from 2016 to 2018.
American Airlines lawsuits: Northeast Alliance antitrust case and Flight 5342 crash suits
American Airlines Group describes these two pending matters in its quarterly reports to the SEC. Claims in a lawsuit are allegations until a court decides them.
- Northeast Alliance antitrust class action. In December 2022 two private plaintiffs filed proposed class actions against American Airlines Group and JetBlue Airways in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, alleging that the airlines' Northeast Alliance partnership violated U.S. antitrust law. The cases were consolidated on January 10, 2023, and in September 2024 the court denied the airlines' motion to dismiss. In July 2026 the remaining plaintiff asked the court to certify a class limited to people who bought American or JetBlue flights to or from Boston between April 1, 2021 and July 28, 2023; American Airlines Group and JetBlue filed their opposition in October 2026. The group's report for the quarter ended September 30, 2026 describes no ruling on that motion, and the company says the lawsuits are without merit and that it is defending them vigorously.
- American Eagle Flight 5342 crash suits. On January 29, 2025, American Eagle Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines, collided with a U.S. Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Wrongful death and survival suits began to be filed on September 24, 2025 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against American, PSA and the U.S. government. In a court filing in December 2025 the government admitted that it owed the plaintiffs a duty of care, which it breached, and that this caused the accident. As CBS News reported, the same filing attributes the collision to the Army helicopter crew, who it says failed to keep safe visual separation from the jet and to see and avoid it, and identifies an air traffic controller in the Reagan National tower as partly to blame for not following visual separation procedures. American's and PSA's motions to dismiss were denied without prejudice on February 27, 2026; on June 10, 2026 the two airlines answered the amended complaint and filed a cross-claim against the U.S. government. In its report for the quarter ended June 30, 2026, American Airlines Group said trial was scheduled for April 12, 2027 and that the lawsuits are without merit as to both American and PSA. As of that report, no court had decided the claims against American or PSA.
Court & Public Records
Private party antitrust actions related to the Northeast Alliance (against American Airlines Group Inc. and JetBlue Airways Corporation)
FiledPending. According to American Airlines Group's quarterly report for the period ended September 30, 2026, proposed class action antitrust complaints filed in December 2022 were consolidated on January 10, 2023, and the court denied a motion to dismiss the third amended complaint in September 2024. In July 2026 the remaining private plaintiff moved to certify a class limited to purchasers of American and JetBlue flights to or from Boston from April 1, 2021 through July 28, 2023, and in October 2026 American Airlines Group and JetBlue filed an opposition. The report describes no ruling on that motion. The company says the lawsuits are without merit and that it is defending them vigorously.
American Eagle flight 5342 accident litigation (wrongful death and survival actions)
FiledPending. According to American Airlines Group's quarterly report for the period ended June 30, 2026, the suits began to be filed on September 24, 2025; American's and PSA's motions to dismiss were denied without prejudice on February 27, 2026; on June 10, 2026 they answered the amended complaint and filed a cross-claim against the U.S. government; and the court's schedule sets trial for April 12, 2027. The U.S. government, also a defendant, admitted in a December 2025 court filing that it owed the plaintiffs a duty of care that it breached; as reported by CBS News, that filing attributes the collision to the Army helicopter crew and identifies an air traffic controller as partly to blame. The company says the lawsuits are without merit as to both American and PSA. As of that report, no court had decided the claims against American or PSA.
American Airlines: who operates it
Who operates it. American Airlines, Inc. is a Delaware corporation owned by American Airlines Group Inc., which lists it among its subsidiaries in Exhibit 21.1 of its 2025 annual report on Form 10-K. Its SEC filings give a business address of 1 Skyview Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76155. Flights sold as American Eagle are flown by regional airlines: the same exhibit lists Envoy Air Inc., PSA Airlines, Inc. and Piedmont Airlines, Inc. as group subsidiaries operating under the American Eagle trade name. Tickets, refunds and baggage claims on American Eagle flights go through American, under the same Customer Service Plan and Conditions of Carriage.
Similar names. Heating, air-duct and air-conditioning businesses called American Air, and the American Airlines Center arena in Dallas, are not the airline. Unsolicited faxes or emails that use American's name to sell cheap travel packages, or that attach a ticket you did not buy, should be checked before you pay or open anything: look up the reservation yourself on aa.com or call Reservations at 1-800-433-7300.
Company Relationships
- Owned byAmerican Airlines Group Inc.
- Affiliated withEnvoy Air Inc.
- Affiliated withPSA Airlines, Inc.
- Affiliated withPiedmont Airlines, Inc.
Related Complaints
Names this company in a role other than the primary subject — not necessarily current or complete.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does American Airlines Customer Relations take to respond?
American's Customer Service Plan says it typically responds within a few days and that customers can expect at least an acknowledgement within 30 days and a resolution within 60 days. Those limits match DOT's rule that airlines must acknowledge a complaint within 30 days and send a written response within 60 days. Mail goes to American Airlines Customer Relations, P.O. Box 619619, DFW Airport, TX 75261-9616. If 60 days pass without a substantive answer, you can file a complaint with DOT.
How do I get a refund from American Airlines?
If American cancels your flight or significantly changes or delays it (3 hours or more on a domestic itinerary, 6 hours or more internationally) and you do not travel or accept a credit or rebooking, DOT's refund rule entitles you to a full refund, paid automatically within 7 business days for credit card purchases or 20 calendar days for other payment methods. Otherwise, request a refund online, through Reservations at 1-800-433-7300, or by mail to American Airlines, Attention: Passenger Refunds, 4000 E. Sky Harbor Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85034. Tickets bought from American at least 7 days before departure can be cancelled for a full refund within 24 hours of purchase. Nonrefundable tickets cancelled by you on a flight that operates as scheduled are not refunded. A delay or cancellation does not by itself entitle you to cash compensation under federal rules; federal denied boarding compensation is paid only to passengers involuntarily bumped from an oversold flight, under the rules set out on this page.
What does American Airlines say it pays for lost or damaged baggage?
American's Customer Service Plan says it will reimburse up to $4,700 per ticketed domestic passenger for lost or damaged checked baggage, subject to claim verification; its Conditions of Carriage raise the limit to $5,000 if you declared excess value. Normal wear and tear and items such as cash, jewelry and cameras are excluded; the Conditions of Carriage give the full list. On international trips the Montreal Convention, or the Warsaw Convention where it applies, sets the limits. Report the bag before leaving the airport and send the Passenger Property Questionnaire within 30 days of your first report. If the bag was lost or significantly delayed, you are also owed a refund of the checked bag fee.
How do I file a complaint about American Airlines with DOT?
First give American a chance to fix it through Customer Relations. If that fails, file with DOT's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection online at transportation.gov/airconsumer, or by mail to 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590, including your contact details, flight numbers, dates and what happened. DOT sends service complaints to the airline, which must reply to you and copy DOT; DOT does not investigate every service complaint, but uses them in targeted reviews and enforcement. Disability and discrimination complaints are forwarded to the airline for a response to you and DOT, and DOT then reviews them for violations and mails you its findings.
What DOT civil penalties are listed against American Airlines?
DOT's enforcement-orders list includes: $20,000 (Order 2015-9-10, oversales); no dollar penalty stated (Order 2015-11-3, mistaken-fare cancellations, resolved with a ticket offer); $45,000 (Order 2016-8-30, oversales and baggage liability rules); $1.6 million (Consent Order 2016-12-10, tarmac delays); $65,000 (Consent Order 2016-12-12, surcharges described as taxes); $250,000 (Consent Order 2017-7-9, refund rules); $1 million (Consent Order 2019-2-23, tarmac delays); $4.1 million (Consent Order 2023-8-20, tarmac delays on 43 flights); and $50 million assessed (Order 2024-10-15, wheelchair assistance and handling, of which $25 million was payable to the U.S. Treasury and $25 million credited to American for specified expenditures, amended by Order 2025-12-5). Each order is described separately above; amounts are not totalled.
Is American Eagle the same company as American Airlines?
American Airlines Group Inc.'s 2025 Form 10-K Exhibit 21.1 lists American Airlines, Inc. and, separately, Envoy Air Inc., PSA Airlines, Inc. and Piedmont Airlines, Inc., each of which 'operates under the trade name “American Eagle”'. The Customer Service Plan refers to its 'American Eagle regional partners', and several of its commitments (for example the baggage reimbursement of up to $4,700) are worded as made by 'American Airlines and American Eagle'.
What do BBB and Trustpilot show for American Airlines?
BBB's profile for American Airlines in Fort Worth, Texas gives a BBB rating of A; the airline is not BBB Accredited. It shows 6,854 complaints in the last 3 years, 1,632 of them in the last 12 months, and an average of 1.07 out of 5 stars from 1,101 customer reviews. Trustpilot's unclaimed page for aa.com shows a TrustScore of 1.3 from 3,591 reviews. The two platforms measure different things, so their figures are not combined.
How old are the American Airlines complaints on this site?
The complaints about American Airlines posted on this site date from 2000 to 2013. They are consumers' own accounts of what happened at the time. Refund, baggage and complaint rules have changed since then, notably DOT's 2024 automatic refund rule, so the current rules, deadlines and contacts on this page come from American's and DOT's published policies.
Sources (23)
American Airlines (own site)
- American Airlines Conditions of Carriage, definitions aa.com
- American Airlines Customer Service Plan aa.com
Public records
- SEC EDGAR company record for American Airlines, Inc., CIK 4515 data.sec.gov
- American Airlines Group 2025 Form 10-K, Exhibit 21.1 subsidiary list sec.gov
- 14 CFR Part 250, Oversales ecfr.gov
- 14 CFR Part 260, Refunds for Airline Fare and Ancillary Service Fees ecfr.gov
- DOT notice withdrawing the Airline Passenger Rights compensation proposal, Federal Register federalregister.gov
- American Airlines Group Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026, legal proceedings sec.gov
- American Airlines Group Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2026, legal proceedings sec.gov
- U.S. DOT Aviation Consumer Protection enforcement orders list transportation.gov
- DOT Consent Order 2016-12-10 transportation.gov
- DOT Consent Order 2016-12-12 transportation.gov
- DOT Order 2016-8-30 transportation.gov
- DOT Consent Order 2017-1-11, Crowell complaint transportation.gov
- U.S. DOT File a Consumer Complaint page transportation.gov
- U.S. DOT Bumping and Oversales page transportation.gov
- U.S. DOT Refunds page transportation.gov
- DOT Order of Dismissal 2026-7-2, Edelman v. American Airlines transportation.gov
- DOT Order 2025-12-5 amending Order 2024-10-15 transportation.gov
- DOT Order of Dismissal 2026-7-4, Borsetti v. American Airlines transportation.gov
Review sites
- BBB profile for American Airlines, Fort Worth, TX bbb.org
- Trustpilot page for aa.com trustpilot.com
Other