A passenger who recently flew on an American Airlines flight to Charlotte is claiming that his jacket was “burned” after being left behind on the aircraft. Amid the frustration, the passenger alleged that the airline’s customer service desk informed him that the disposal of his clothing item was due to COVID-19.
American is reportedly investigating the matter, according to a representative. As part of its conditions of carriage policy, the airline is responsible for lost, damaged, or delayed checked baggage but will not cover passengers’ items carried onto the plane.
The development comes from Turner Sparks, a Brooklyn, New York-based comedian. Sparks shared his ordeal in a series of posts on X on Saturday. It is unclear where he was traveling to or from, but the comedian recently “left a jacket” on a plane at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) for half an hour.
When he attempted to retrieve the clothing at a customer service desk, it was nowhere to be found. An American employee reportedly said it is “company policy” to “immediately burn all clothes left on airplanes” as a safety measure from the pandemic.
American replied to Sparks’ claims, asking if he had filed a claim to locate the jacket.
“Have you filed a Lost Item claim yet? Once the item is found and matched to an existing claim, you’ll be contacted with details to pick it up or have it delivered,” the carrier explained on X.
Photo: Bui Le Manh Hung | Shutterstock
Surprised at the response, Sparks replied to the airline, reiterating that the jacket was “gone” after staff told him it was “immediately burned” at CLT.
“It went to jacket heaven,” the comedian joked.
Sparks has reportedly filed a claim with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) after another user following the development on the social media site encouraged him to do so. The FTC is an agency within the US government that works to protect the public from unfair business practices by enforcing the civil antitrust law.
Further claims made by Sparks included American utilizing a “burn pit” for lost items at CLT.
“Apparently there is an @AmericanAir burn pit at the Charlotte International Airport specifically for lost & found items. She [employee] goes “our policy since covid is all lost & found gets burned”. I said “So it’s not lost & found now it’s lost & burned?”. She said “yes”!!!”
The carrier still employs several thousand customer service workers, but is forming a new team to provide “elevated support”.
Simple Flying has not independently verified the claims but reached out to American on Sunday for comment on the matter. A representative could not be immediately reached.
In response to Sparks, a customer service representative explained the process of addressing lost item claims.
“Our process is to match lost items to existing claims and then follow up with our customers,” the representative said. “Once the claim is made, it will stay open for up to 30 days or until the item is found.”
According to American’s conditions of carriage policy on its website, the Fort Worth, Texas-based airline will provide up to $5,000 if a checked bag is lost, damaged, or delayed – depending on the specific scenario. The carrier will not cover the loss of or damage to several items such as artwork, books, computers, jewelry, or “unique, irreplaceable or similar valuable items.”
American is also not responsible for carry-on items or the “loss, damage or delay of any bag or item considered not acceptable as checked baggage.”
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