Originally Posted by
dungeonlurker
Indeed, but if I remember correctly, same day changes are handled by the operating carrier, not the ticketing carrier.
You are correct.
So basically, if I book a Main Cabin flight, I can do a Confirmed Change, but if I book a First flight, I can't?
That is my understanding.
Originally Posted by
vishalgupta22
Oh, so may be OP can pay move up fee directly to AA and move to a earlier flight based on availability.
OP wants a
later flight.
In this case I wonder if AA needs award space availability or just available seats.
The answer is clearly stated on the page linked above,
https://www.aa.com/i18n/utility/sameDayTravel.jsp:
Passengers traveling on AAdvantage MileSAAver awards continue to have the flexibility to change the date/time of their flights at no charge, provided award seats are available on the desired flight. If award seats are not available on the desired flight, you may obtain a confirmed seat on the same day by paying the $75 charge.
And to be more specific, SDC flight must have E inventory. However, this is (or at least was) restricted to main cabin awards.