Mar 22, 2016, 10:06 am
Last edit by: JDiver
ARCHIVE: AA Eliminates 24 Hour HOLD 1 Apr 2016
As of 1 Apr 2016: 24 hour free cancellation,
except bookings purchased within seven days of travel.
NOTE: Hold and 24 hour cancelation online can be used currently until it is terminated.
As of 1 Apr 2016: 24 hour free cancellation,
except bookings purchased within seven days of travel.
NOTE: Hold and 24 hour cancelation online can be used currently until it is terminated.
See current thread: Free 24 hr Hold on AA.com Now Only Offered Randomly 3 Nov 2016
Bookings made now state:
"You have 24 hours to cancel your trip for a full refund if you booked at least 7 days prior to departure. (Link to) Refunds policy."
For bookings made online, AA may continue to offer hold for unspecified interim going forward, but 24 hours hold via telephone booking may no longer granted by agents (though occasional ones might anyway).
update July 2016
AA will follow USDOT requirements to the letter, not the industry standards:
● 24 hour cancellation with refund and no penalty, though
● No free 24-hour cancellations for purchases within seven days of flying (except on refundable fares)
● 24 hour hold dropped for telephone bookings 1 April - but per a post here, will continue to be available for an undetermined interim period of time
● 24 hour hold will be offered for online bookings for an undetermined interim period of time
● during this period both free 24 hour hold and 24 hour no fee cancellation will be possible
● Extended hold for pay will still be offered online on many bookings (not within seven days)
● The five day holds for awards, and 24 hours within fifteen days of travel (all awards by non-elites also incur a $75 close in processing fee) remain unaffected
● No free 24-hour cancellations for purchases within seven days of flying (except on refundable fares)
● 24 hour hold dropped for telephone bookings 1 April - but per a post here, will continue to be available for an undetermined interim period of time
● 24 hour hold will be offered for online bookings for an undetermined interim period of time
● during this period both free 24 hour hold and 24 hour no fee cancellation will be possible
● Extended hold for pay will still be offered online on many bookings (not within seven days)
● The five day holds for awards, and 24 hours within fifteen days of travel (all awards by non-elites also incur a $75 close in processing fee) remain unaffected
Gary Leff, From the Boarding Area, 31 Mar 2016: (link) American spokesperson Joshua Freed confirmed to me today:
● They are making the change
● It does go into effect tomorrow, April 1 after all.
● They are making the change
● It does go into effect tomorrow, April 1 after all.
Previous, obsolete thread: ARCHIVE: AA 24 Hour Cancellation Policy: Offer 24 Hour Hold (obsolete)
Prior statement 20 March 2016: "There is not a final decision on this. Moving to refunds instead of a hold policy is something we are looking at, but it has not been decided.
There are some issues and implications we need to sort through before we do anything – which may be nothing at all.
There are some emails and meetings about all of this, and it looks like someone was eager to share the news.
If something officially changes, we will let customers know in advance. Nothing has been decided as I write this at 7:32am on Monday."
- Gary Leff, View from the wing Link
There are some issues and implications we need to sort through before we do anything – which may be nothing at all.
There are some emails and meetings about all of this, and it looks like someone was eager to share the news.
If something officially changes, we will let customers know in advance. Nothing has been decided as I write this at 7:32am on Monday."
- Gary Leff, View from the wing Link
ARCHIVE: HOLD ticket changed 1 Apr 2016 - 24 hr cancellation (but, read...)
Mar 19, 2016, 11:02 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Arkansas/SFO
Programs: AA EXP 2MM
Posts: 333
ARCHIVE: HOLD ticket changed 1 Apr 2016 - 24 hr cancellation (but, read...)
I created a reservation for 2 months out this evening and at the end it did not offer to put it on hold, only purchase it. Called EXP line and asked agent to create it and put it on hold, and she did. In the process she also commented that as of April 1, 2016 there would be no more putting tickets on hold, but the ticket must be purchased and there would be a 24 hour period during which the ticket could be cancelled and refunded. She was quite clear on this and explained the cancel/refund procedure to me in detail.
This is the first I have heard of this. I know this is common with other airlines but I must say I much preferred the old 24 hour hold system.
This is the first I have heard of this. I know this is common with other airlines but I must say I much preferred the old 24 hour hold system.
Mar 19, 2016, 11:06 pm
#2
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 152
This would be unfortunate if true...
Didn't AA just recently test extended, multi-day holds though?
Didn't AA just recently test extended, multi-day holds though?
Mar 19, 2016, 11:10 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Arkansas/SFO
Programs: AA EXP 2MM
Posts: 333
Mar 19, 2016, 11:22 pm
#4
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Dallas, TX
Programs: AA EXP 3MM; LH FT (*A Silver); Marriott Rewards Platinum Elite; Starwood Corporate Preferred
Posts: 782
Still able to do a hold for a flight in June. Not sure how much credibility I would put in this agent's information....also including the development of multi-day holds I am doubting the elimination of holds all together.
Mar 19, 2016, 11:27 pm
#5
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: US
Programs: AAdvantage
Posts: 1,753
Perhaps it's only the free holds that are being eliminated with a move to either all-paid holds or full refunds within 24 hours of purchase.
I haven't heard anything regarding holds going away and certainly hope it isn't true.
I haven't heard anything regarding holds going away and certainly hope it isn't true.
Mar 20, 2016, 1:01 am
#6
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: BOS
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 7,710
Hold isn't showing up as an option for my flights for Thursday and the following Monday...
Mar 20, 2016, 1:24 am
#7
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: CLT
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 866
Just yesterday (Saturday) I was able to put a hold on a reservation for a family member departing the end of April and returning the beginning of June- including flights on BA with AA flight numbers.
Certainly hope the hold doesn't disappear- the whole cancel/refund process is really a pain in the rear.
Mar 20, 2016, 1:24 am
#8
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Los Angeles
Programs: AA EXP
Posts: 110
Maybe it was an early April fools joke?
Can't imagine AA would get rid of the hold feature.
In my experience, I've seen the hold feature not offered for 1) international itineraries that include a leg on a partner operated/marketed flight and 2) any itinerary with a departure date is within one week of the current date.
Can't imagine AA would get rid of the hold feature.
In my experience, I've seen the hold feature not offered for 1) international itineraries that include a leg on a partner operated/marketed flight and 2) any itinerary with a departure date is within one week of the current date.
Mar 20, 2016, 2:14 am
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2001
Programs: DL 1 million, AA 1 mil, HH lapsed Diamond, Marriott Plat
Posts: 28,190
Look at all the posts in this forum when people were expecting a refund to be available with 24 hours of purchase (the DOT-approved alternative to a hold, and the way DL and UA do it). It's not unimaginable AA would change policy to eliminate that point of friction. (Whether holds or 24-hr refunds is better hypothetically is a question I won't tackle.)
Mar 20, 2016, 6:30 am
#10
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST
Posts: 27,730
Mar 20, 2016, 6:41 am
#11
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: SNA
Programs: AA EXP, UA 1K (until it expires then never again), *wood Plat, Marriott Gold
Posts: 9,239
I will be really disappointed if this is due to AA caving to the clown who keeps writing blogs about how he's too dumb to read and thus the hold policy vs 24 hour cancellation is "deceptive". though I suppose if we do end up where its 24 hr free cancelation with an option to pay for longer holds that would be nice.
Mar 20, 2016, 6:49 am
#12
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: FIND ME ON TWITTER FOR THE LATEST
Posts: 27,730
Someone also asked me about this on Twitter-- so agents (some, anyway) clearly -have- been telling members this-- and when I asked I got a very vague non-denial. SO, if I -had- to guess, I'd say that there is some kind of change in hold policy coming very soon.
Mar 20, 2016, 7:07 am
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Los Angeles / Basel
Programs: UA 1K MM, AA EXP, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 26,910
Hopefully this will not effect award holds.
Mar 20, 2016, 7:22 am
#14
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: ORD
Programs: BA, AA, SQ, UA, AC, WS, MR TIT
Posts: 8,658
Mar 20, 2016, 8:07 am
#15
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: DCA in the winter, SJC in the summer
Posts: 81
You pay a small fee (I think $5-$11 pp) for a 3-7 day hold.
https://www.aa.com/i18n/utility/hold_mktpg.jsp
https://www.aa.com/i18n/utility/hold_mktpg.jsp
