Some American Airlines Passengers Can Now Put 7-Day Hold On Ticket Purchase (For A Fee)

While other U.S. commercial carriers let customers cancel their reservations within 24 hours of purchase, American Airlines allows travelers to put a free 24-hour hold on their ticket purchases. Now American is testing additional options that let travelers put holds of three, five, or seven days on their tickets — for a fee, of course.

A reddit user recently noticed that they had the option of paying $7.99 per person for a three-day hold and $9.99 per person for five days.

USA Today has confirmed with the airline that it is testing hold options that go up to seven days ($11.99 per person) for some itineraries.

The hold options aren’t shown until after the traveler selects their flights, seats, and enters their information. When it comes time to choose a payment method, choosing “Hold” will bring up any available options.

For the handful of itineraries we tried, AA.com only presented the 24-hour hold option, so don’t assume you’re going to be able to buy the extended hold just yet. However, the airline says it plans to roll out these new, longer holds to all U.S. markets in the coming months.

American has been criticized for its 24-hour ticket hold policy because it differs from how other major carriers comply with federal regulations.

AA customers must actively choose the hold option while the other airlines include the one-day cancellation policy as the default. This has resulted in confusion from travelers unfamiliar with American who learned too late that they could not freely change or cancel their reservation the next day.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist