If you want to reserve a flight on American Airlines (AAL), it’s going to cost you.
The nation’s largest airline is discontinuing an option that enabled customers to reserve a flight for 24 hours before paying, according to a report in USA Today.
Customers will still be able to purchase a ticket and then cancel the flight and receive a full refund if they do so within 24 hours of the purchase. American says that it is making the change in order to align its policies with other airlines, which offer no hold option. “We’re making the switch to minimize the customer confusion that arose sometimes because our policy was different from those of other airlines,” American Airlines spokesperson Joshua Freed told the paper.
The reason for offering these options at all, however, appear to be due to government regulations. Department of Transportation consumer protection rules require airlines to offer refunds within 24 hours of purchase for tickets bought more than a week in advance.
