American Airlines ends most change fees following big drop in pandemic travel
Following the lead of other major airlines, American Airlines announced Monday it will drop most fees for changing flights.
The elimination of the $200 change fee applies to flights to any of the 50 states, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands in Premium Economy, business class, first class and most main cabin tickets. Change fees will still apply for people flying in basic economy.
The announcement comes one day after United Airlines announced a similar policy, followed by a Delta announcement Monday.
The change won’t be cheap for the airline — American took in $818.7 million in cancellations and change fees last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Customers will still need to pay the difference between tickets if changing to a more expensive flight. But if customers switch to a less expensive flight, American will give customers a voucher to make up the difference, according to the airline.
That means if a customer switches from a $1,000 flight to an $800 flight, American will give the customer a $200 voucher to use on a later trip.
Starting Oct 1., American will also allow all customers to stand by on flights on the same day as their original flight and to the same destination at no charge. And the airline will continue to waive change fees for any new travel, including basic economy tickets, booked by the end of this year.
The airline, which operates the vast majority of flights at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, has seen a drop in business since the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S.
In July, fewer than 1 million people boarded flights at CLT — down from nearly 2.1 million in January.
American has warned it will cut jobs due to low air traffic starting in October, as CARES Act protection for workers expires. In Mecklenburg, that includes nearly 1,500 American employees and 247 employees at American subsidiary PSA Airlines.
This story was originally published August 31, 2020 at 4:47 PM with the headline "American Airlines ends most change fees following big drop in pandemic travel."
.jpg)