In August 2015 American ported in the US Airways baggage tracking feature so customers could see the status of bags in real time.
American has now rolled out what they call Customer Baggage Notification and for some unknown reason they think it needs an acronym (CBN). This new push notification lets passengers know the status of checked bags when they land if the bags didn’t make it onto their flight.
This saves time waiting at the baggage carousel, wondering if your bags will come out, watching other passengers take away bags as the crowd dwindles. On the other hand it also eliminates the adrenaline rush you get after standing around the carousel, wondering if the last bag has come through, thinking your bag is lost — and then at the last possible moment your bag comes out — victory!
They offer three types of alerts:
- Early Baggage Arrival: bags came in on an earlier flight and should be at the baggage service office, not the carousel.
- Late Baggage Arrival – Go to the Baggage Service Office If your bags need to clear customers when they arrive off an international flight you’ll need to go the baggage office.
- Late Baggage Arrival – Mobile Baggage Order You can fill out a bag description and delivery details on your mobile phone rather than wait to learn your bag is late and then wait to fill out paperwork at the baggage office.
And because some people are more visually-included, here’s a video describing what I just wrote.
Notifications are pushed through the American app, but can also be provided with contact information associated with a reservation.
Here’s the singer from Puddle of Mudd riding the baggage carousel in Denver.
Holy, 2:30pm EDT embargo, Batman!
Here’s what I am interested to see: as a disabled traveler, I’m first on/last off, so my bags are always waiting somewhere besides the carousel for me as it takes a while for me to get to baggage claim. Am curious if I will be told where that somewhere is. Currently, I have to hunt around – sometimes, the baggage office, sometimes just standing alone near a carousel, and sometimes the baggage outposts they have every few carousels, like in MIA. Very frustrating.
Isn’t this more of less playing catch up with what Delta has been doing for over two years. And Delta gives the customer 5000 SkyMiles if the bag doesn’t come out on the carousel within 20 minutes of the cabin door opening.