American Airlines Will Bring Back Its 24-Hour Ticket Hold Option

Now, this is some good traveling news. American Airlines will bring back the option for customers to hold reservations for 24 hours free of charge.

The hold applies to bookings that are at least one week in advance, a rep from the airline told Travel + Leisure.

The complementary option was paused for a test that was done to evaluate its utilization. Customers again have 24 hours to decide if they want to book the flight. One big plus is that the price the customer holds it at will not change during the 24 hours.

“We continue to evaluate our product offerings to customers on aa.com and understand customers may need flexibility when booking travel plans,” the spokesperson added.

Travelers can hold the ticket on the “Review and Pay” page, and return within 24 hours to purchase it and if they choose not to purchase the ticket, they can go online and cancel it.

If they are using a flight credit or trip credit, it’s best to call the airlines to purchase. Customers who cancel within the 24-hour grace period can do so online without having to call. 

The option to hold the ticket is an advantage that other airlines don’t typically offer. A step u from the 24-hour ticket cancelation that many others offer as a courtesy.

In addition to AA’s hold, and 100% refunds on tickets canceled within 24 hours, some airlines in the U.S. have also done away with most ticket changes, United Airlines made the move on its domestic flights in 2021, American Airlines, Delta, and Alaska Airlines did so shortly after.