Passengers hauling sports equipment or musical instruments are in luck, as American Airlines announced it will significantly lower checked luggage fees for these items.
The airline is reducing the fees from $150 to just $30, the same amount the company charges for the first piece of checked luggage. The airline said it will count each piece of sports gear or musical instruments as a single, standard checked bag.
The lower fee will apply to gear like skis, surfboards and bicycles. The catch: Items weighing more than 50 pounds will still be subject to additional fees, and bulky equipment like hang gliders and scuba tanks will still cost $150 to check.
The new policy went into effect last month. The airline said it hopes the change will “ensure that customers can more easily pursue active and healthy lifestyles wherever their travels may take them.”
A similar reduction went into place last year on rival carrier United Airlines, which lowered its fee for checked surfboards on flights to California to $30.
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