American Airlines · American Airlines Terms of Use · View original document ↗

International Baggage Liability Cap (Montreal Convention)

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Document Record

What it is

If your bags are lost or damaged on an international flight, American will pay you no more than approximately $1,700 (the value of 1,288 Special Drawing Rights) regardless of what your bags were actually worth.

This analysis describes what American Airlines's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

The liability caps define the maximum financial exposure American Airlines assumes for loss, damage, or delay of checked baggage on international routes. The applicable cap depends on which international air transport convention governs the specific flight route.

Recent Activity

This document changed recently

Medium Jun 6, 2026

The updated Terms of Use no longer include explicit statements about how American Airlines uses performance cookies to analyze site usage and track popular pages, or how functional cookies remember your preferences like language and region settings. Previously, the terms disclosed that cookies are essential to site operation and cannot be rejected. The removal of these disclosures means users visiting the American Airlines website will not find this granular explanation of cookie purposes in the terms themselves, though cookie collection may continue through other disclosure mechanisms such as a separate privacy policy or cookie banner.

View change record →

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

This provision caps American's financial liability for lost or damaged checked baggage on international flights at approximately $1,700, meaning passengers who check bags worth more than this amount bear the excess risk themselves.

What you can do

⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.
  • Dispute a Fee
    Within 21 days
    File a baggage claim within 7 days for damage or 21 days for delayed baggage by visiting aa.com and completing the baggage claim form. Retain all receipts and documentation of bag contents to support your claim.

How other platforms handle this

Synthesia Medium

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event will Synthesia's aggregate liability to you under or in connection with this Agreement exceed the total fees paid or payable by you to Synthesia in the twelve (12) month period immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim. In...

Google AI Studio Medium

Google's total liability to you for any claims under these terms, including for any implied warranties, is limited to the amount you paid us to use the Gemini API (or, if we choose, to supplying you the services again) in the 12 months before the breach.

Duolingo Medium

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, DUOLINGO SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR REVENUES, WHETHER INCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, RESUL...

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
For international travel governed by the Montreal Convention, American's liability for loss, damage, or delay of checked baggage is limited to 1,288 Special Drawing Rights per passenger. For international travel still governed by the Warsaw Convention, liability is limited to $9.07 per pound ($20.00 per kilogram) for checked baggage.

— Excerpt from American Airlines's American Airlines Terms of Use

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

1) REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: This provision is governed by the Montreal Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air (1999), Article 22, which establishes the 1,288 SDR per-passenger liability limit for checked baggage. The Warsaw Convention (1929, as amended by the Hague Protocol 1955) applies as a residual framework for routes not covered by Montreal. The DOT enforces compliance with treaty obligations for U.S. carriers under 49 U.S.C. § 40105. SDR values fluctuate with IMF basket currency movements, requiring periodic cap recalculation. 2)

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    DOT (acting under FTC Act analog 49 U.S.C. § 41712) has jurisdiction over deceptive baggage liability disclosures by airlines.
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal

Provision details

Document information
Document
American Airlines Terms of Use
Entity
American Airlines
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
May 7, 2026
Last verified
May 7, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-004786
Document ID
CA-D-00632
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
21d1117243ad470ea76299e381779185df7cc55b7cf4c2e132253cff5394046b
Analysis generated
May 7, 2026 08:45 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: American Airlines
Document: American Airlines Terms of Use
Record ID: CA-P-004786
Captured: 2026-05-07 08:45:33 UTC
SHA-256: 21d1117243ad470e…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/american-airlines/american-airlines-terms-of-use/international-baggage-liability-cap-montreal-convention/
Accessed: June 27, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
High
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does American Airlines's International Baggage Liability Cap (Montreal Convention) clause do?

The liability caps define the maximum financial exposure American Airlines assumes for loss, damage, or delay of checked baggage on international routes. The applicable cap depends on which international air transport convention governs the specific flight route.

How does this clause affect you?

This provision caps American's financial liability for lost or damaged checked baggage on international flights at approximately $1,700, meaning passengers who check bags worth more than this amount bear the excess risk themselves.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with American Airlines?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by American Airlines.