American Airlines (outline eagle)

From the days before American went plain white. You can tell this was a long time ago, because this bag has weathered to a blotchy cream colour. 

The American eagle is a cripple: it's got only one foot.

American Airlines (plain base)

Same bag as the one above, but without the bagmaker's marque on the base.

Thanks to Matthias Koch. (2004)

American Airlines (al terminar)

"Al terminar, doblelo hacia usted", it says. "At the terminus, double towards you."

American Airlines (1998)

American used to have their bags double as film-processing envelopes for Kodak -- see below. This is now an almost exclusively Australian phenomenon (see Ansett and Qantas). Perhaps Kodak got tired of getting the remains of American's delicious in-flight menu along with the film? AA's bAArfbags are now plain white: not even a logo.

American Airlines (1999)

It has the same look as the bAArfbag above, and there's still no printing (shame, shame!). But there are subtle differences all the same. The wire closure tabs have been redesigned, the top is no longer crinkle-cut, and the base now has a rectangle of paper pasted to it to stop it from coming apart and depositing the contents on your lap.

Thought you'd try flying Midwest Airlines instead of American? Don't bother: their bag is the same as this one--so doesn't qualify for a separate entry in this gallery. 

American Airlines (pointy base)

In a bid to boost collectors' interest in its product range, American has gone pointy-bottomed.

American Airlines (shiny tab)

This boring bag's only attraction is the shiny coated paper on the horizontal wire tab.

Yet more evidence of how far US-based airlines are behind the rest of the world in bag design.