Texas Soldier On Deployment Forced To Pay United Airlines $200 Oversize Bag Fee

AUSTIN, TX — A national guardsman returning home to Texas from a 21-month deployment in Afghanistan was forced to cough up $200 for an overweight bag this week, in what is the latest PR nightmare for United Airlines.

First Lt. John Rader was eager to return home to Kyle, Texas, after being away at war, packing a bag containing his Kevlar vest, two helmets and boots—battlefield gear donned during his fight against terrorists in defense of his country, Fox 7 reported. But airport officials in El Paso, Texas, told him the bag was over the 70-pound weight limit, and wasn't covered under the airline's free military baggage policy.

"I was told point blank that I'd have to pay $200 for the overage or find another bag to siphon stuff off with,” Rader told the news station. “Well, I didn't have another bag so I was caught in a bind, do I go home without my stuff or without it?"

Rader insists he wasn't looking for special treatment, but expected some measure of empathy. After all, he had just been at war for nearly two years.

"There was no empathy to the situation," he told Fox 7. "I'm not looking for sympathy, but some form of empathy in the situation. There was none of that. It was just cold. I had to either pay or leave the bag.”

A United Airlines spokesperson initially said active military are allowed to check five bags free as long as they are under 70 pounds. But as the story spread beyond El Paso—with the attendant public outcry over the soldier's treatment—airline officials expanded on their reaction, offering Rader a full refund for the bag fee.

"We are disappointed anytime a customer has an experience that doesn't meet their expectations, and our customer care team is reaching out to this customer to issue a refund for his oversize bag as a gesture of goodwill," the airline said on Tuesday.

While appreciative of the gesture, Rader says he won't fly United Airlines when he travels as a civilian. He also told the news station he'd like to see the policy changed for other military personnel, not just him.

This is the latest public relations challenge for the airline. Last month, United Airlines was beset with considerable public outcry after a passenger unwilling to give up his seat in an overbooked flight was literally dragged off a plane in Chicago.

Also in April, an otherwise healthy rabbit named Simon—a record-breaker given his immense, three-foot size—died en route to Chicago O'Hare Airport from London. The rabbit was flying to the U.S. to be delivered to an unnamed celebrity who purchased the giant rabbit before its untimely demise.

>>> Read the full story at Fox 7

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