Other airlines, such as BA, will happily accommodate you in an earlier flight, free of charge. They do this for both national and international flights.

AA, on the other hand, charges a fee for confirmed change, and only offer this 'service' in a sub-set of their flights. They do have a lot of restrictions too: https://www.aa.com/i18n/plan-travel/...day-travel.jsp

Is this related to old IT systems, or just another Customer Service Oriented (TM) attitude?

BA has fuel surcharges and charges for picking a seat in J. AA has its pluses and minuses. At least you no longer pay a $175 change fee anymore, only the price difference. The answer to your question, AA charges to generate revenue.

Since when?

I had an Avios RFS ticket a few years back for LHR-BUD (evening flight) following a cruise that ended in Southampton. Not only did the BA agent not permit me to take the earlier flight; she wouldn't even let me check my luggage in so far in advance of departure time. When I asked another BA agent if there were any food service options landside, she took pity on me, and at least let me check my bag so that I could go airside and access a Priority Pass lounge.

It's to try to get you to pay for a more expensive flight upfront. The inventory restriction is theoretically so that people only change to seats that might go unsold.

You can pay the fare difference to change to the flight you want.

Not sure since when, and, to be honest, I could not find this 'codified' in any of BA's webpages. I can only speak from personal experience.

Needless to say, carriers exist to make a profit. But I do consider that AA to be an outlier in this respect...

BA will accomodate free of charge for same day changes on flights with Club Euriope + Economy as long as the fare that allows for baggage and same day change is permitted - on the HBO fares it will not

On other flights, it will allow changes as per fare rules only

AA will allow you to make free change changes as per fare rules - many of its fares allow for changes free of charge

I'm not sure how AA's confirmed flight change and syandby are restrictive - it allows change to an earlier flight on the same route as existing - CFC allows you to confirm before even heading to rhe airport

Extending to another carrirer - Qantas, for example, on its domestic fares, discount fares allow changes at $100 until day before travvel, but no changes at all on the day - arrive early and enjoy the airport longer - arrive late and buy a new ticket

I believe that AA is much more restrictive than their biggest competitors UA or DL, especially if you are elite. The other two allow you to change routing as long as it's the same origin and destination. UA even lets you change from a connection to a nonstop, DL has it free for DL gold (AA PLT equivalent), and UA has it free for all Premier members.

Even overlooking the inability to switch to a nonstop, it's often best to change hubs like BOS-PHL-MSY to BOS-CLT-MSY or v.v. because the earlier flights through a different hub is better timed than the earlier flights through the hub you were in, or there's better weather/operations that day in a different hub.

The biggest issue with the SDFC and CFC limitation is with IROPS. Before AA limited the change, you could proactively avoid the problem that you know is coming.

Since AA flat out lies about their delays (ON TIME departing in 20 minutes - at an outstation when the inbound aircraft, 3.5 hours away and still at the gate there), you're stuck waiting at the mercy of AA's BS to make a change; many times too late. Previously, if I saw issues at DFW or knew my inbound was horribly late, I'd hop onto another routing long before AA would tell us we could/should.

BA will only permit a same day change on long haul flights if (a) the fare rules permit it; (b) there are irrops and allowing changes would help them out in some way.

It�s restricted to certain simple point to point short haul cash only with no connections bookings and no changes in airport are allowed so if you wanted to change a LHR arrival into LGW or LCY you have to pay.

The only time they changed a long haul booking for me was when there was a lengthening delay on my original flight so moving me helped them out,

What am I missing? I thought any AA elite status allows same day changes either confirmed or same day standby. And anyone can get elite status easily now on AA.

Anyone can get status on any airline very easily - it is a minority of people that do hold status though

AA SDFC/CFC allow for same routing/connection points only

maybe I am buying the wrong ticket.. I have never had BA allow me a standby on any flight other then the I am booked on

At the very least I would like to see co-terminals included in SDFC. It's annoying that they won't allow different connecting cities, but I do kind of understand why (just way too flexible; I'd book the lowest-cost flight every time and then would just wing it on departure day). But why not let me change to LGA or BUR if I'm flying out of JFK or LAX?

Possibly for the same reason as connecting cities.