American Airlines Gets Rid of Close-in Booking Fees for All

American Airlines has a charge of $75 for booking award tickets within 21 days of departure. The fee was waived for those with AAdvantage Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum status. Now that seems to have changed, effective immediately. American Airlines has eliminated AAdvantage close-in booking fees altogether.

You can see this already when doing an award search online. Results for flights within 21 days will just show a charge of $5.60 for taxes and fees. This is an example of a search for an award tomorrow from NYC to Los Angeles:

The change was confirmed by American Airlines in a statement to TPG. It said the airline is “always looking for ways to make AAdvantage award redemption easier for our customers, and this update offers more flexibility when booking award travel and requesting mileage upgrades.”

Guru’s Wrap-up

You would expect American Airlines to make some type of official announcement for this. Touting positive changes for customers is rarely passed up by airlines. But, judging from what other major airlines have done, there might be some type of “catch” to make up for this enhancement. let’s see what the future brings. For now, enjoy the no-fee close-in bookings.