American Airlines lost a passenger's cases containing equipment worth more than $70,000 and he is still waiting for compensation

• American Airlines lost luggage containing audio-visual equipment worth more than $70,000.
• Regular flyer Ashkan Aghassi told Insider he's never "experienced anything like this."

American Airlines lost a passenger's luggage containing audio-visual equipment worth more than $70,000 that he needed for an exhibition.

Ashkan Aghassi, who is in the top tier of the airline's frequent flyer program, was traveling from Phoenix to Dallas on May 26. When he landed, he waited for his two Pelican cases that contained the equipment but they failed to arrive.

Aghassi told Insider as soon as he realized his luggage was delayed, he filed a claim as "the value of the Pelican cases and their contents was well over $100,000," but he was only able to produce receipts to the value of $72,796.

Insider reviewed a copy of the report of missing luggage, flight bookings, and equipment receipts.

Two days later, he called its baggage department and was told they had been found in Dallas and would be "rushed to Long Beach airport" and delivered to his home. The promised delivery never came, Aghassi said.

"I called central baggage and reached an agent who advised the file had been closed for some reason and that the information given to me by the previous representative was incorrect – the luggage was not found."

The agent, whose name was shared with Insider, reopened the claim and said he'd follow up with Aghassi.

AA policy is to wait a minimum of 30 days from first contact before an investigation can take place. At the end of June, Aghassi followed up saying he was getting frustrated about the lack of updates.

On July 5, he received an email saying that the luggage was deemed lost. The representative asked Aghassi to send him receipts of the equipments to finalize the claim and issue a payment. After doing so, he has not heard anything more.

His business insurance doesn't cover the equipment because it was being transported as passenger luggage rather than with a freight operator.

Aghassi concluded: "I spend tens of thousands of dollars with [AA] and their partners annually. During the course of my 1.5+ million miles of air travel, my luggage has been delayed or lost several times, but I've never experienced anything like this."

Insider contacted American Airlines for comment.