ashill

Huh? If you need to change both the outbound and return and you booked a round trip, you get one change fee. If you need to change both and booked two one ways, you get two change fees. There are advantages to avoiding booking round trips, but this isn't one of them.

I think it's quite helpful. JetBlue, Southwest, and Alaska all have considerably more friendly change fee approaches than the big three, each with a different approach. I think that is a very good reason to choose one of those three if they're viable for a particular trip; in fact, the no change fee outside of 60 days is a major driver in my choice to fly AS when I can for trips I know about that far in advance (but not solidly enough to book on an airline with change fees at that time). Of course, there are many trips for which none of those three work. (And realistically, the limits in their networks are probably a big part of the reason they feel a competitive need to have more customer-friendly change fee structures.)

If you don't like the exorbitant change fees charged by the big three, it's far more effective to vote with your wallet at booking time than to act surprised and angry when you encounter a fee that is more or less the same as it has been for many, many years.

Amil

isnt it 2 days now?

drvannostren

I never knew about the 24 hour cancellations until it happened to me. I botched the booking and realized it like 30 minutes later, messed up the dates or something. I was glad it's a policy (or law?) in Canada/US.

Fast forward to a booking I made with Cebu Pacific. I messed up the date, forgot to carry the 1 in a cross date line booking etc. Realized it soon after again, this is after I double/triple check before hitting pay. But we all make mistakes, that's what the policies are for, sometimes your eyes aren't seeing things right, whatever. Anyway, I call them...nope, sorry you're SOL, gotta either pay a fee that's bigger than the ticket or just book a new ticket. I was quite pissed. I ended up enjoying flying Cebu Pacific for the most part, but it seems pretty dishonest when even < 6 hours you can't cancel.

Dave Noble

The reason ehy the US carriers have it is because it is a legal requirement, rather than a desired choice

flyalways

Although we all know the rules for change fees etc., I feel that the rules are illogical and fees are
exorbitant ! I wish they had a sliding scale where they charged less and less change fees depending
on the date of flight. If you want to change a ticket 180 days out it could be $25, 120 days would be $50,
90 days $75...so on. I am not sure what the "cost" is to the airline to charge these large $200 fees ?
At the time of new booking they are offering you pricing on that day and not honoring older
pricing anyways...My $.02.

Spanish

Did you cancel & rebook the ticket? Hopefully so.

These nickle & dime fees are just lousy. Southwest has $59 fares without these ridiculous fees, & they've been profitable without issue. Lots of airlines do this unfortunately, American is not alone with this endeavor! Good luck to you.

jordyn

As mentioned earlier, some airlines take an approach more like this. If you like that policy more, you should fly those airlines more. The only way the legacy carriers will ever get more customer friendly is if the fact that they're not actually costs them business.

SpinOn2

Sigh, I am one to give empathy when it seems a company (in this case airline) seems to be sneaky with hidden language trying to screw you over. However, this is NOT the case here, it's very clear in the terms of the ticket. I personally cannot give empathy when someone willingly spends hundreds w/o knowing what they are buying, and then wants to blame anyone else when the rules are followed.

I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but people need to take responsibility. Does it suck? Sure, I hate change fees personally, especially that high, but it's clear in the rules before you hand over your money. I agree to an extent about small fees for changes within a certain timeframe of the flight (within 30 days of it), but $200 does seem exorbitant. However, it's the rules, don't like it, don't use that airline.

jordyn

If there were more robust competition in the US, it would be easier to adopt this mentality. As it is, there's been so much airline consolidation that for many routes people have very few options. Given the lack of competition, we've seen a steady increase in junk fees and other customer-unfriendly behavior. Having said that, JetBlue is killing AA and the other legacies in most markets that they've entered, so maybe eventually this will have more of a nationwide effect.

dickinson

Do you have any data to support this assertion?

MOD220

I called AA last night, the rep was very helpful, they waive the fee over the phone but charge it online (you could argue how strange that is too). I'm all for "read the policy before buying" but believe when "fees" exceed costs of "service," the model is out of whack. In any industry, that should be deemed inappropriate.

bse118

To assume that a change fee is in any way related to, or should be related to, the cost to the airline of making that change is a fallacy. It's a fee - charged to increase revenue.

I guess it's good for the OP that they were successful in getting a waiver in this case. But it should would be nice, IMO, if AA consistently applied it's policies.

(and OP: it is not true that AA waives the fee over the phone but charges it online. You got a agent that did you a favor).

WiscAZ

No, OP got an agent who followed the policy. Anyone can book a flight and cancel within 24 hours. If OP booked yesterday morning and called yesterday night, OP would have been within the 24 hour window and thus free to cancel at no charge. In my experience, if the reservation has been ticketed the online change will charge a fee so calling is necessary. If you catch is before the reservation is ticketed you can do it online with no charge.

formeraa

I've "lost" tickets before when I chose to cancel inexpensive ticket, but I knew what I was getting into. I think the change fees should be a percentage of the ticket (say 50% with a minimum of $35 and a maximum of $250). That would be a more fair system, but I'm not in airline management.

bse118

That may be be what happened ...but it's not what OP said. OP has not mentioned or even acknowledged the 24-hour cancellation policy or the discussion of it in this thread.

The 24-hour cancellation policy is different policy than the change fee policy. OP and this thread would do well not to conflate them.