Vacation preparation can take a significant amount of time and effort. So is it easy to make changes if something goes wrong?

Flight changes on American Airlines have become more accessible due to improvements made during the coronavirus outbreak. Most of the costs related to changing various types of tickets are removed by the airline. 

American Airlines 24-Hour Flight Change Policy

• You can change your flight for free within 24 hours of booking your flight. This applies regardless of your ticket, travel class, destination or route.
• Check to see if your rescheduled flight is flying between the same cities as before. 
• According to American Airlines flight change policy, you must pay the difference between the ticket price for the initial & new flight tickets.

What is the Cost of Changing an American Airlines flight?

The good news for travellers is that changes to American Airlines travel are usually free. Remember that you will be responsible for the increase in the price of your new ticket.

You can apply the cost of your previous ticket toward the new charge, as well as adjust the ticket’s origin or destination. If the price today is lower than the prior price, you can apply the difference to future flights.

If you’ve got travel insurance, you are eligible for another flight if you change your plan for a covered reason.

American’s removal of change costs does not apply to international flights from destinations other than North and South America. The only exception is fixed economy flights from Asia. 

How Can I Change My American Airlines flight?

For cash-purchased airline tickets

You can easily change the applicable American Airlines flight that you paid for with cash. To use your earned flights, log into your American AAdvantage account or register using a six-digit record locator at aa.com.

Choose the trip you want to change and follow the procedures to change the trip to another flight. You have the option to cancel your American Airlines flight.

For flights purchased using points

Changing an award flight with American Airlines is a slightly different process. Most flights cannot be changed online; instead, you must call the booking department.

Transferring American Airlines reward travel is free, but you must pay any additional miles owing on your new trip. If the rescheduled flight requires less American AAdvantage points, the difference will be credited back to your account. If you upgraded your flight using miles, you can change it for free by contacting the support department.

American has three award ticket types: AAnytime, MileSAAver, and Web Special. Web special award tickets are considered as most affordable; however, they are non-transferable.

Of course, this is fine because you can cancel your award trip anytime and then book the miles for your preferred ticket.

American Airlines has announced the discontinuation of its MileSAAver and AAnytime prices, as well as changes to its elite status program for 2023.

The Refund Policy of American Airlines

American Airlines’ refund policy is basic but limited. Refundable tickets can be refunded to the initial payment method before departure. If you bought the ticket directly from American Airlines, you can request a refund on their website. However, if you booked the tickets from traditional or online travel agents, including Expedia, you should contact them directly.

Nonrefundable tickets can be returned more than 24 hours after purchase if one of the following conditions is met:

• Switch to a four-hour schedule.
• Passenger or travelling companion death.
• Travellers have been issued military orders.

Same-Day Flight Change and Standby Policies on American Airlines

American Airlines enables passengers to make same-day travel changes on domestic flights.

Same-day flight changes are available on the AA website, by phone, or at the airport.

AA provides free same-day flight changes to –

• First or business-class
• An individual on the same booking
• Executive Platinum
• AirPass tickets

Request same-day standby at the airport’s self-service kiosks or online.

The standby policy applies to American and/or American Eagle flights between and within the United States, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and Canada.

See Also – American Airlines Cancellation Policy

The cancellation process is simple if you purchased your ticket directly from American Airlines. Considering the following key points:

• All tickets are 100% refundable within 24 hours after purchase if your departure date is more than two days away.
• Nonrefundable tickets could be changed or cancelled without penalty, but no refund is offered. However, you’ll receive a travel credit that can be used for another trip within a year of the original ticket’s issue date. 
• The only condition is that once booked, basic economy fees cannot be changed. If you are unable to fly on the initial flight, you will lose your whole purchase price.
• Any refundable tickets can be returned to your initial payment method at any time.
• Award tickets can be cancelled and refunded with used miles for free.

What is an American Airlines Flight Change Fee?

An overview of American Airlines flight change prices is below for convenience. 

For international short and long-haul primary economy tickets, American Airlines costs $75-$150.

Other types of travel entail additional costs. 

Domestic – $200

International – $300

What is the Purpose of the American Airlines Schedule Change?

An American Airlines schedule change happens whenever a planned change or flight cancellation happens before the scheduled departure day, however, up to 72 hours before the scheduled departure. As an example,

• Service reduction
• Service discontinuation in a market

• Flight times change
• Flight numbers change

If you request a schedule change more than 35 days before your flight, it is handled 30 days or more before your flight takes off. Schedule changes requested during 35 days or fewer are handled within five days. Only flight number changes to the schedule require no reissue.

How Do I Obtain a Flight Change Fee Waiver From American Airlines?

If you have a nonrefundable ticket and want to alter your AA flight for free, keep the following points in mind:

• Military orders
• Weather disruptions
• A family member has died

Can the Date of an American Airlines Flight be Changed?

Yes, with any of its flights, you may modify the date of your flying journey. However, if you change the date within the first 24 hours of reserving your ticket, you will not be charged anything. Because of the airline’s behaviour, there are no charges/fees for flight changes.

So, if you are flying with American Airlines and wish to reschedule your flight date, here are the simple procedures to take:

• Go to American Airlines’ main website.
• Go to the My Trips area.
• Enter your first and last name, as well as the booking reference.
• Select the search reservation option.
• Select your flight.
• Select the view/change option.
• Find another flight that fits within your schedule.
• Pay the difference in aeroplane ticket pricing if necessary.
• Select the change trip option.
• Your flight date has been updated successfully.

See Also- American Airlines Low Fare Calendar

American Airlines Domestic and Short-Haul International Ticket Change Fee

Customers on American Airlines can make one-time changes to their flights on domestic and short-haul international tickets without incurring any costs. If you need to modify your tickets after that, you will be charged $200 for domestic flights and $75-$150 for international flights.

AA Change costs differ depending on the kind of ticket booked.

If you purchased a standard economy ticket

Before your journey, you can make modifications. Find out how to change a basic economy fare.

If you change your flight after it has begun, you will be charged a $200 cost for domestic flights and a $750 fee for foreign flights (which includes Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands).

If you purchased a standard or premium economy ticket

You can make modifications before your journey begins without incurring a cost. If you alter your flight after it has begun, you will be charged a $200 cost for domestic flights and a $750 fee for foreign flights (which includes Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands).

If you purchased a cheap first or business-class ticket, you must:

You can make variations before your travel begins at no cost. You will be charged a $200 fee for domestic flights and a $750 fee for international flights if you change your ticket after it has commenced.

If you change your ticket for any reason other than an unavoidable one, such as weather or flight cancellation, you will be charged this fee. It applies whether changing from one flight to another on the same route, missing your prior flight, or just preferring a different timetable.

This fee is in addition to any price differences between the two flights. So, if your original flight costs $250 and the new trip costs $300, you’ll pay the $50 difference plus a $200 change fee, for a total of $75-$150.

Change Fee for American Airlines Long-Haul International Flights

American Airlines imposes a $200 change fee for long-distance international flights. This applies to American and American Eagle coaches, businesses, and first-class tickets.

The fee is taken for AAdvantage Executive Platinum, Platinum, and Gold members. Passengers who refuse to board a plane unwillingly could be exempt from paying the cost.

When you cancel or change a flight with American Airlines, almost all fees are refunded. Because you have more flexibility when changing or cancelling a flight, you should be able to book without fear of losing money or miles.

American Airlines has a stricter policy than United Airlines. You should book an excellent award ticket as soon as you see it because there is no cost to redeposit points with Americans. You can return those miles without penalty if your plans change before you leave.