The airlines, which merged in late , provided the first timetable for the key merger milestone in a letter to travel agents Tuesday May The largely behind-the-scenes computer system changeover is expected to begin as soon as July and will take 90 days. That would wrap it up in October, ahead of the busy travel season. At that time, US Airways' website and airport check-in kiosks will go away and all flights will be booked and checked in as American flights.
There essentially will be no more US Airways flights, though the name on some planes and employee uniforms will say US Airways for as many as two more years until flight operations are combined. The merged airline long ago decided to take American's name. The reservations system is at the heart of an airline's business, controlling everything from ticket sales to flight check in, flight status and gate information.
American executives said they have been methodically planning for the reservations switch, with the goal of making it invisible to travelers. The airline decided on a gradual shift to American's reservations system -- called a drain down -- instead of an overnight switch to reduce the risk of problems. Historically all award tickets were eligible for same-day flight changes. Instead, these awards have to be canceled and rebooked if you want to switch flights.
If you book a standard MileSAAver or AAnytime award, you will still be able to get complimentary, same-day flight changes. But, award tickets work a bit differently. See below for more on how to SDFC an award ticket. To search for this, select the Fare Availability search option. For simplicity, you can narrow these Fare Availability search results to certain fare codes.
This filter gives a decent snapshot of how many seats are still available on a given flight. Each one of these flights also has availability for at least seven same-day flight changes. Just note that this availability is always subject to change as you get closer to departure. That must come from ExpertFlyer. Instead, I was able to change it the day before departure.
So, I waited until 2 p. The reverse is true for moving to a flight earlier in the day. If you want to move to the 8 a. All AAdvantage award tickets are eligible for complimentary, confirmed, same-day flight changes. Instead, there has to be award availability on the new flight for you to get a confirmed flight change.
So, why would you want to same day flight change anyway? A same-day change can get me on an earlier first flight or later connecting flight, allowing a longer layover. Related: The best ways to avoid change and cancellation fees on paid flights. Perhaps the most useful use of SDFC for business travelers is the ability to hop on an earlier flight if a meeting or conference ends early — or switch to a later flight if the meeting runs long.
Finally, you could wind up in the same situation as TPG Editor Nick Ewen a few years back: stuck in a traffic jam en route to the airport. One of the downsides for SDFC is the upgrade situation. There are still a lot of ways in which travelers could end up paying change fees.
Here's a look at where these fees will likely apply. The biggest loophole for airlines — one the size of Texas, according to Keyes — is that change fees are still in place for those who purchase basic economy plane tickets. Basic economy is a class of ticket that airlines rolled out a few years ago that usually offer rock-bottom prices, but come with a lot of restrictions. Typically, you can't take any large carry-on luggage with you and you board the plane last. Generally, basic economy tickets can't be changed at all, but airlines have suspended those rules during the pandemic.
Basic economy ticket holders have been allowed to change dates without penalty through Dec 31, on Alaska , American Airlines , Delta and United. In those instances, the airlines' new policies may actually wind up being a bad deal for those who buy more expensive tickets in order to save on change fees, Keyes says.
Say you want to buy a flight on United from Newark to Houston on November 5. Travelers who planned international vacations for the fall thinking the pandemic would be over are also probably out of luck. Some of the airlines are only dropping change fees on domestic flights and a handful of international destinations.
Under the new policies, United and Delta will still charge fees to change international trips. American says it won't levy change fees on its international routes to Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico, but for all other international destinations, the change fees remain in place.
Alaska announced it will not charge for changes to international flights, but keep in mind that Alaska only flies to Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica outside the U. In addition to waiving change fees for most domestic trips, American and United announced they will allow travelers who want to change the time of their flight to opt for same-day standby for free.
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