Domestic discounted first class? You may say goodbye $150 penalty.

AA.com surely got a facelift… but has anyone seen the change to those tucked away fare rules for discounted domestic first class?

Try booking into P for FLL/JFK Dec 23. For example, last week SA07ERP1 (“UP” fare) was always non-refundable with a $150 change penalty. I just booked it today into F cabin. However, the fare rules show that there is NO change penalty (but of course change in fare).

I called an AAgent and she insisted that there was a $150 penalty. I pushed back and read the fare rules as I saw them on aa.com, and then she called her fare desk. She returned to the line and confirmed that many (discounted and domestic) first class fares no longer have a change fee penalty. She pointed out that it’s easy to see online, but it’s difficult for AAgents to know the difference. In some cases (such as this one) they’ll need to call their fare desk to get confirmation.

Of course, they are still non-refundable and change in fare is still applicable. But for the old timers who booked on AA.com (last week)… As mentioned in other threads, the "instant upgrade" and "first special" category all fits into one new category called "First/Business". In many cases, it's advertising a $0 change fee for domestic tickets.