Or, maybe the soldier was trying to squeeze money from AA?
If he was on leave orders and not duty orders, he was travelling on his own expense and on his own time. According to the rules, might he have been obligated to pay the standard rate?
Was AA out of line in trying to get a guy who might not have actually been on duty to pay the same rate as everybody else?
If there’s one thing I’ve learned to hate, is soldiers and former-soldiers who trade on their service to get favors. Not the stuff that’s freely offered in gratitude (like that which AA is known for), but guys who want a “special deal” on a car, a home or even a drink. Very poor form.
Last summer, my wife made reservations at a water park and hotel for the family. She saw on line that they had military discounts, so she copied my ID and signed up. When I got to the gate and they thanked me for my service (nice), I was a little embarassed. I served in the Army because I love my country (and I wanted to blow shit up), not for the freebies.
You know what? If I had my way, soldiers would always fly for free. They most certainly should not have to pay for their luggage or duffel bags, even if they are a few pounds overweight. I read in the story that they usually do NOT charge up to 100 pounds, so this employee was “nickel and diming” this soldier. No excuse, no matter what.
I don’t understand why you want to fault the soldier. You sound more like an American Airlines manager, trying to defend their cheap tactics.