Changes within 24 hrs of booking?
 

So I'm throwing this out for the experts as I am still learnings all the in's and out's at AA... I know they interpret the 24 hr cancelation mandates as the HOLD feature... but what policies exist once you actually book?

I see a more attractive routing for $2 more and I am within 24 hrs. Can I make a change for no fee? Obviously paying the fare difference...

You can, but when you call, say you made an error in your original booking. Why? Because the rule is to accommodate mistakes, not a more preferable routing.

We really need a separate thread/sticky for these newbie questions from United 1Ks.

What rule are you referring to? I am not aware of any such rule on AA.

It is another one of those unpublished rules.

If within 24-hrs of ticketing, a passenger calls citing an error in their itinerary, changes are allowed fee free. However the applicable fare difference still applies. The rule has been around for a few years now.

Even without errors, you can change or cancel. There is not even a need to explain or justify why. I never had to justify.

That is not correct. You have gotten lucky. That does not equate to a rule.

Cheers.

I doubt the latter is part of the rule, you may be getting lucky. This sounds like UA's 24 hr cancelation policy...

However the other posts seem to indicate within 24 hrs a change can be made with no fee...

I've suggested this a couple of times since they, as a rule, don't seem to spend any effort looking at the information that is already there for these basic questions....but nothing has happened thus far. Of course, the sticky could have one post simply pointing people to the existing FAQ, but they'd probably not read that one either :)

Cheers.

You Sir, are incorrect. As others have mentioned you either got lucky or you are thinking of another airline's policy -- on which does not offer a 24-hr. hold.

That sounds like you are saying they are doing something wrong. The new law clearly gives the airline a choice of a hold option or a refund option.

:confused: What interpretations? Here is a link for you, and others, to learn about the DOT regulations regarding 24 hold OR cancel without penalty within 24 hours of purchase: http://www.dot.gov/affairs/2012/dot0812.html

AA chose the 24 hold option.

Since not all itineraries can be placed on hold on aa.com, I assume these can be changed within 24 hours of booking no questions asked?

Yes, if your itinerary cannot be placed on hold because it includes a partner airline or you used a promo code which required immediate purchase, then you can get a refund within 24-hrs. no questions asked.

I wish AA chose the 24 HR cancel policy. Heard these holds are not dependable near the departure date.

Plus on AA's side holds could allow people to things on hold excessively.

That is MISINFORMATION!

The fare is stored in the reservation, so you are guaranteed the fare if it goes up. If it goes down, it will quote the lower fare when you try to purchase it online.

Some fares will show the hold to be only good until mid-night of that day, but that is clearly stated at the end of the reservation process. In these instances (generally caused by fare expiration deadlines being that day), you can still call reservations and get the hold extended to 24-hrs.

As to your second point, the 24-hr. hold has been around for years, not a response to the new DOT regulations, so I think AA knows how to manage customer booking patterns.