American Airlines Award Travel Change Fee

American Airlines' AAdvantage® program offers a flexible award travel policy, allowing travellers to make changes to their itinerary without incurring additional fees. Changes can be made up to 24 hours before departure, and cancellations are also free of charge. This policy applies to both domestic and international flights, making it a convenient option for those who need to adjust their travel plans. It's worth noting that taxes and fees paid for the original ticket will be refunded, but there may be a difference in ticket price for the new flight.

Additionally, American Airlines provides a generous hold policy, allowing travellers to place an award travel reservation on hold for up to five days if booking more than 14 days before departure. For bookings made less than 14 days in advance, a 24-hour hold is offered.

American Airlines' change and cancellation policies

Changing a Reservation:

• You can change your reservation online or through the American Airlines app. Log in to your AAdvantage® account, find your trip using the confirmation code, and select 'Change Trip'. You can change your departure or arrival airport, date, or both.
• Same-day flight changes are allowed for a fee, starting at $50. This option is available for flights within and between the U.S., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Canada.
• If you need to make changes to a reservation made by a travel agency or another website, you can do so on the American Airlines website without incurring any extra fees. However, any future changes will need to be made directly through American Airlines.
• For international flights originating outside of North America, there is a $150 change or cancellation fee for award tickets.
• Basic Economy tickets cannot be changed after 24 hours from the time of booking.

Cancelling a Reservation:

• You have 24 hours from the time of booking to cancel your reservation for a full refund, as long as you booked at least two days before departure. After 24 hours, refunds are not allowed for non-refundable fares.
• To cancel your trip, log in to your AAdvantage® account, find your trip using the confirmation code, and select 'Cancel Trip'. You will receive an email confirmation of your cancellation.
• If you paid for seats or bags, these fees are non-refundable in the event of a flight cancellation.
• Travel must be completed within one year of the original ticket date.
• If you cancel an international award ticket, the miles will be reinstated to your account for free.
• Certain elite status members may be exempt from change and cancellation fees.

How to change or cancel an award ticket

American Airlines has a customer-friendly cancellation policy. All tickets are fully refundable within 24 hours of booking, as long as your departure date is more than two days in the future.

Non-refundable tickets can be changed or cancelled without a fee, but you will not receive a refund. Instead, you will receive a travel credit to use on another flight.

Basic economy fares are the only fares that cannot be changed once booked. However, with recent policy changes, you can cancel the flight by paying a fee. Similar to other non-refundable tickets, you will receive a refund in the form of a travel credit.

You can refund fully refundable tickets at any time to the original payment method.

You can cancel award tickets and have your miles reinstated free of charge up to one year after the ticket was issued. The latest you can cancel an award ticket is before the first flight in your itinerary departs.

To cancel an award ticket, log in to your American Airlines account, click on the "Your trips" link in the menu, select the trip you'd like to cancel, and confirm your cancellation. American Airlines should automatically reinstate your miles.

Changing an American Airlines flight online is easy. Once you've pulled up your trip in your account online, select the "Change trip" button, search for new flights, and select a new flight from the options given.

American Airlines will display the new itinerary, along with whether you owe additional funds or are entitled to a credit. If you're entitled to a travel credit, American Airlines will display this as a "Refund Amount." In almost all cases, that refund will be issued as a travel credit instead of a refund to your original payment method.

American Airlines' Refund Policy

American Airlines' refund policy is straightforward but fairly restrictive. Refundable tickets can be refunded to the original payment method at any time before departure. Non-refundable tickets are only eligible for a refund more than 24 hours after purchase if one of the following applies:

• A schedule change of more than four hours
• Death of the passenger or a travelling companion
• Military orders for the passenger

Tips for Booking with Miles

• American Airlines does not allow free stopovers on award travel. Any connection of 24 hours or more on an international award will result in paying for more than one award ticket.
• American Airlines allows open-jaw tickets at both the origin and destination. An open-jaw ticket that includes more than one region will be priced as two one-way awards.
• American Airlines prices its awards according to the highest class of service you book on your itinerary. This differs from some programs like Avianca LifeMiles, which charge a prorated number of miles based on the percentage of your trip in each class.
• American Airlines AAdvantage miles can be extremely valuable if you know how and when to use them and are aware of the basic rules for award travel.

American Airlines' fees for changing or cancelling an award ticket

American Airlines Fees for Changing or Cancelling an Award Ticket

American Airlines does not charge a fee to change or cancel an award ticket. This policy has been in place since November 2020, when the airline eliminated award mileage redeposit fees. This means that you can now lock in a speculative award without worrying about change or cancellation fees.

However, it's important to note that you must change or cancel your award ticket before the scheduled departure time of your flight, or the ticket will be forfeited. Additionally, certain types of tickets may include fees, so it's always a good idea to check your individual terms.

For example, tickets with stopovers in multiple cities or those that were originally reserved via phone must be changed via phone. Basic Economy tickets cannot be changed after 24 hours, and travel must be completed within one year of the original ticket date. There may also be a difference in ticket price for the new flight.

When changing a flight, you may be required to pay the difference in mileage for the new route, but you may not be refunded the mileage if the new flight costs less. In most cases, you will be refunded the taxes and fees you originally paid for the ticket, minus any fees for making the change.

It's also worth noting that American Airlines allows you to put an award travel reservation on hold for up to five days if the award is booked more than 14 days before departure. This can be helpful if you need some time to make a decision or finalize your plans.

How to avoid American Airlines' change and cancellation fees

How to avoid American Airlines change and cancellation fees

American Airlines has a very flexible policy when it comes to changing or cancelling award tickets. In fact, the airline does not charge a fee to change or cancel an award ticket. This makes American Airlines a great option for locking in speculative awards, especially given the great partner awards that can be booked with AAdvantage miles.

• Make any changes to your flight at least 24 hours before departure. American Airlines allows you to change or cancel your trip online. You can change your departure or arrival airport, date, or both. After confirming your changes, you will receive an email with your new flight details.
• If you booked a Basic Economy ticket, make any changes within 24 hours of purchasing your ticket. Basic Economy tickets cannot be changed after this time period.
• Complete your travel within one year of the original ticket date.
• Be aware that a difference in ticket price may apply when making changes to your flight.
• For trips that begin in Europe, changes are allowed but may incur a fee (excluding Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania).
• If you need to cancel your trip, log in to your AAdvantage account and click "Cancel trip" in the menu. You will be prompted to confirm the cancellation and will then receive an email with your trip cancellation information.
• Keep in mind that if you paid for seats or bags, these fees are non-refundable in the event of a flight cancellation.
• If you are issued a travel credit, keep the cancellation email as it contains the ticket number and original confirmation code you will need to rebook your flight.
• You can check your travel credit balance by logging into your AAdvantage account and clicking on "Travel credit" in the account summary menu.
• When rebooking your flight using a travel credit, keep in mind that travel credit cannot be used for extras like seats, upgrades, or bags.
• If you need to make a same-day flight change, you can do so by requesting it on the American Airlines website or at the airport. Same-day flight changes are only confirmed within 24 hours of departure and are subject to availability.
• If a same-day flight change is not available, you can opt for same-day standby, which allows you to stand by for an earlier flight without a confirmed seat.

By following these tips, you can effectively avoid change and cancellation fees when flying with American Airlines.

How American Airlines' fees compare to other airlines

American Airlines has a range of fees for various services, and how these fees compare to other airlines depends on the specific service in question.

Change and Cancellation Fees

American Airlines does not charge a fee to change or cancel an award ticket. This policy was implemented in November 2020, and previously, the airline charged up to $150 per passenger to change or cancel an award ticket. Now, passengers can cancel award tickets and have their miles reinstated for free up to a year after the ticket was issued.

A comparison with other airlines shows that:

• Delta Air Lines also does not charge a fee for changing or cancelling an award ticket.
• Air New Zealand, Asiana Airlines, and Korean Air charge fees for changing or cancelling an award ticket, with fees varying by fare type.
• British Airways charges a fee of £35 (~$43) for changing or cancelling an award ticket.
• Qantas Airways charges 5,000 Qantas points for changes and 6,000 points for cancellations.

Baggage Fees

American Airlines has increased its baggage fees, with the first checked bag now costing $35 if purchased online and $40 at the airport, while the second checked bag costs $45. These fees are comparable to those of other major airlines:

• Delta Air Lines charges $30 for the first checked bag and $40 for the second on domestic flights.
• United Airlines charges $35 for the first checked bag and $45 for the second on most domestic flights.
• JetBlue charges $35 for the first checked bag and $50 for the second on basic tickets for domestic flights.
• Alaska Airlines charges $35 for the first checked bag and $45 for the second on domestic flights.

However, some airlines, like Southwest, offer two free checked bags, and their bag must also be under 50 pounds and 62 inches in size.

Other Fees

American Airlines charges a range of other fees, including:

• $150 for in-cabin pets.
• $35 for airport ticket counter and Admirals Club-issued tickets.
• $99 for voluntary cancellation of a Basic Economy fare ticket before the first flight departs for AAdvantage® members travelling within the 50 US states.
• $50 for a same-day flight change.
• $40-$90 per 500-mile segment for Main Cabin Extra seats.

While a direct comparison of all fees across all airlines is not available, it is worth noting that some airlines, like Southwest, offer certain perks for free that other airlines charge for, such as cancellation fees and checked bags. Additionally, American Airlines has removed some fees that other airlines still charge, such as the close-in booking fee and the phone booking fee for award travel.

Frequently asked questions