Airline hit with suit over baggage fees

NEW YORK, July 22 (UPI) -- A U.S. airline has been hit with a $5 million class-action lawsuit over lost bags and its refusal to reimburse the baggage fees it charged, legal experts say.

The lawsuit against American Airlines is the first since the airline started charging fees for handling and transporting luggage in June 2008, one of the first airlines to impose such fees, ABC News reported.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Danielle Covarrubias of Pierce County, Wash., who paid a $25 fee for her single piece of luggage on a flight to Grand Rapids, Mich.

The bag never arrived, and the airline refused her demand for a refund of the baggage fee, the lawsuit says.

"American Airlines is just another example of how companies have forgotten about customer service," Covarrubias said in a statement. "When American charges a fee for a baggage service it should deliver your bag, unharmed, or give you a refund."

An American Airlines spokesman said the carrier was reviewing the lawsuit and would have no immediate comment, ABC News said.

"We already do allow customers to include a checked bag charge refund request in their baggage claim if they file one for other damages and the claim is accepted for full or partial payment," said the spokesman, Tim Smith.