An American Airlines passenger gate-checked the bag with her medication, then an engine issue trapped it and she got a $12 voucher

A TikTok user recently found herself in a tough spot after gate-checking a bag that contained her medication. Natalie Collins shared her experience on TikTok through a video, explaining how a minor inconvenience turned into a major headache while waiting for an American Airlines flight.

As reported by BroBible, the trouble began when Collins was scheduled to depart from Austin, Texas, to New York’s JFK Airport at 11:30 AM. Although the boarding process went smoothly, the plane hit a snag shortly after pulling away from the gate. 

Collins says, “We start to leave the gate. Then, all of a sudden they’re like, ‘Actually, we can’t do that.’” After sitting on the tarmac for 30 minutes, the crew announced an engine issue that required them to return to the gate for an inspection.

She had to book another flight

While Collins noted that she “[doesn’t] want to fly on an unsafe plane,” the situation quickly spiraled. She had volunteered to check her carry-on bag because the flight was full and she was seated in the back. This choice proved problematic because her medication was inside that bag, which was already stowed in the cargo hold.

The terminal soon became chaotic as passengers scrambled to rebook. Collins found that other American flights were already reportedly fully booked, and prices on other airlines had jumped to $2,000 for the trip to New York. After waiting for two and a half hours, the passengers were informed that their plane might not be ready, and there was a possibility of a total cancellation.

Collins took matters into her own hands and booked a separate flight with Southwest for 5:00 PM. Hoping for some help, she approached an American Airlines worker at 2:30 PM to ask for a voucher. 

She was reportedly told, “No, we don’t do that anymore.” To make matters worse, she learned that she could not retrieve her checked bag unless American Airlines officially canceled the flight. This left her effectively trapped, as her new Southwest booking was useless without her medication.

She ended up canceling the Southwest flight and booking a new one for the next morning, deciding to keep her original American Airlines reservation just in case. Eventually, the airline provided a $12 voucher, which Collins noted could not be used to purchase alcohol. 

She expressed her frustration with the situation, saying, “The only thing that’s $12 at the airport is a bottle of water.” She added, “Six-hour delay and not even promising me that the flight is actually going to happen—and you’re gonna send me $12? That’s f*** wild.”