I don’t think I need to explain how agitated/terrified that made me. They were telling me that they might have to “rebook the flight” if my bag couldn’t get on. STILL, I had to remove all of my clothes from the bag, and open every single compartment (of which there were many) for them to allow me to get back onto the plane. The distance between downtown Manhattan and Newark Airport is approximately 16 miles, and the estimated travel time by car or taxi is about 45 minutes to an. The staff didn’t believe me citing the infallible logic: “there are ports so there’s a battery.” I told them again and again that the battery had been removed and the charging ports-while there-were inert as they weren’t attached to the battery. I had to then de-board the plane and re-explain to staff that there was no lithium battery in my bag. After everyone had been boarded (half an hour after we’d been scheduled to take off) they then called my name out on the speaker. When they asked me if I had a lithium battery in my bag I said “no.” They then gate checked the bag and allowed me on the plane. I know that lithium batteries can’t be taken in the underbelly of the plane and I knew my bag would likely be checked at the gate (why I removed the battery and left it at home in the first place). They took me off an already delayed flight after I’d already boarded to examine my smart bag.

Cons: 'American isn’t my preferred airline for obvious reasons (delays, notoriously bad service, old planes, and a lack of amenities like WiFi and tv’s), but now I’ll never spend my money with them again.

Ewr airport to new york city