Flight cancellation luggage

Question

I booked a ticket from Amsterdam to Philadelphia. This was a direct flight from American Airlines. This ticket got cancelled today and rebooked by American Airlines. I'm traveling one day later (tomorrow, December 18th) from Amsterdam to Madrid with Iberia airlines and then from Madrid to Philadelphia with American Airlines.

I checked in online at Iberia and I noticed that it said that my ticket contains 1 carry on and 0 checked in baggage, which is strange because at American Airlines I always get 1 checked in luggage for free.

I contacted American Airlines where I got a poorly English speaking person on the phone. I told her about my situation and she was real short saying something like "yeah that will be solved at the airport" which was basically all the info she could give me.

I'm sort of afraid that I arrive at the airport tomorrow and they either don't have space for luggage or I have to pay extra (which isn't a real big deal) but as you expect, I'm sort of nervous about this. What do I do and how do I handle this situation?

Also, my reservation at American Airlines says the following at my Madrid->Philadelphia trip: Baggage: CUST. What does this mean and does that have any influence on my trip from Amsterdam to madrid?

Edit for whoever cares

I made it safely to the USA without any problems. The baggage was no problem at all, I didn't even need to ask for anything. Thanks for everybodies help :)

Answer 1

I wouldn't worry about lack of space for your checked bags. It is possible that they will try to make you pay, at which point you can explain the situation and request that they waive the charges. If they refuse, you can pay and take the issue up with American's customer service (or lack thereof) after the flight.

"Baggage: CUST" is, in a rather confusing way, trying to tell you at which baggage claim in Philadelphia your luggage it scheduled to arrive. In this case, your bags will, of course, go to the Customs area, as this is an international flight. This space might display a baggage claim number for customers traveling on domestic flights, but it's always a good idea to check the monitors when you arrive to find the correct baggage carousel.