Originally Posted by Chicago Sailor

I also think it's important to consider how this would have played out had the mistake fare been offered by an airline that offered a 24-hour cancellation option instead of a 24-hour hold option. In that situation, customers would have purchased the airfare with the option to exercise the 24-hour cancellation instead of placing a 24-hour hold. Then, all customers would have equal protections under the DOT regulations (because tickets were paid for).

In the current situation, AA is attempting to take advantage of the fact that the DOT regulations don't explicitly offer the same protections for 24-hour holds as purchased tickets (with 24-hour cancellation options). However, they violated the 24-hour hold rule in the process.