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United Loosens Ticket Change Rules For Travel Agents

United Airlines made several changes to its rules regarding how travel agents can make changes to tickets. Previously, many of the changes required the intervention of a United reservations agent.

It has discarded the rule that limited rebooking to four nonrefundable booking classes above the original class.

Agents can book the original class or next lowest up to and including M (full-fare economy).

The threshold for agency intervention or unacceptable schedule changes is now 30 minutes from the originally scheduled arrival or departure time.

For schedule changes, on other airlines agents can change any United-operated segments in line with the full UA schedule change policy.

Agents can now rebook customers using airports within a 100-mile radius of the original the origin or destination airport.

They also can change a customer’s departure date within a seven-day range before or after the original schedule to maintain full trip duration.

A United issued weather waiver is no longer required to self-serve irregular operation delays of less than hours. Agencies can service any disruption resulting in delays 60 minutes or longer (including blue sky delays).

The re-accommodation window has been extended to seven days both before and after the original date of travel, rather than the previous window of one day earlier or two days later.

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A comprehensive guide to United Airlines’ new same-day flight change policy

Not boarding the flight you paid for can sound like the start of a travel disaster — unless you use "SDC" as a verb.

That's short for "same-day change," an airline option to replace your original reservation with a new, confirmed reservation on a different itinerary to the same destination. Most airlines allow some form of this , often free for higher-tier elites, and it is worth learning their rules. But United Airlines' implementation stands out for its flexibility — especially if you know how to look beyond its app's same-day change suggestions. And starting Jan. 1, 2021 , it's going to be available free of charge to all MileagePlus elite members .

Today we'll go through the ins and outs of what to expect the next time you need to make a last-minute adjustment to your United reservation.

For more TPG news delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter .

United's same-day flight change rules

United's policy for same-day changes is breathtakingly short by airfare-rule standards. The key things to know are:

• You and everyone on your reservation must be traveling on a domestic or international United ticket (with a number starting "016") on a United or United Express aircraft (although on my last international flight, United's app offered alternate UA-metal flights to get me to the same connection to a Brussels Airlines flight).
• The policy includes award tickets but not basic economy fares or certain bulk, group and consolidator tickets.
• You can request a same-day change starting 24 hours before your scheduled departure. You can change to a flight departing the day before or day after your original flight, so long as it's leaving within 24 hours from the time your request is made.
• Origin and destination airports must remain the same, but you can add or remove a connection. Unlike Delta, co-terminal swaps (i.e., switching from a flight out of Newark to a flight out of LaGuardia) are not allowed.
• You can same-day change if you checked bags so long as the change is completed at least 60 minutes before your new flight's departure.

Those rules already grant more choices than American (which yokes you to the original routing) and Delta (which doesn't let you drop a connection and limits same-day changes to flights within the U.S., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada).

Fee for same-day flight changes

Non-elite travelers owe a $75 fee for confirmed same-day flight changes, but effective Jan. 1, 2021, same-day changes are free to Premier Silver, Premier Gold, Platinum, 1K and Global Services elites — making this a non-trivial advantage of even lower-tier United status .

You must also pay the fare difference if your original fare class isn't available. However, what United's site doesn't spell out — but which a FlyerTalk wiki does — is that you can usually avoid this. UA opens up many previously-closed fare classes by the time the same-day change countdown starts, and if you wait until a few hours before departure, even the cheapest fare buckets often reappear.

Related: The best credit cards for United Airlines flyers

Same-day change vs. standby

There are two types of last-minute flight changes: same-day flight change and standby. The key difference between a same-day change and waiting on standby for another flight is that same-day changes are confirmed changes, while standbys don't clear until shortly before departure. When standing by, you retain your original ticket in case a seat doesn't open up on your desired flight.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2021, all United customers will be eligible for free standby , eliminating the current $75 fee to confirm a standby seat. Flyers can add their name to the standby list up to 30 minutes before departure for domestic flights and up to one hour for international flights via United's app, website, or the airport.

Customers standing by are prioritized by Premier status level and the fare class originally purchased. Seats are automatically assigned to standby travelers. You'll typically only change your seat if your standby clears over an hour before departure.

Related: United permanently eliminates most change fees, adds free standby option

Searching for availability

United's app will usually offer same-day change options when you check-in and tap the "search other flight options" button. That will reveal alternate routings departing in the next 24 hours, with links to their seat maps and flight status that suggest your upgrade odds. This works after check-in, too; tap the "Trip Details" button on the home-page frame for your flight.

You can run the same search at United's desktop site (click the "Change flight" link on the reservation page), but the interface is a bit clunky and sometimes incorrectly shows change fees. You also may find fewer results during online check-in, so if you're going to use your computer, I'd suggest going in to manage your reservation. Finally, you're also able to explore same-day change possibilities at a check-in kiosk.

The website and app often don't capture the full cloud of same-day change probabilities. Instead, consult United's info-dense flight-status reports: Punch in your departure and arrival cities, then check seat maps and standby lists on each flight listed to find routings that should be available.

If you want to take it one step further, familiarize yourself with United's fare classes . While it may feel like you need a Ph.D. to do so, it will come in handy when you're trying to utilize the carrier's same-day change benefit.

By enabling Expert Mode on United's website or using ExpertFlyer's "Flight Availability" search feature (owned by TPG's parent company, Red Ventures), you should be able to see if your originally-ticketed fare class is available. If that flight option isn't offered in the app or online, you can be armed with that information when you call to request a change.

Related: Beginner's guide to award searches on ExpertFlyer

Remember also that the 24-hour same-day change time frame moves: If you want to stay an extra night somewhere, wait until that bracket shifts to include the next morning's flights. But time can be your enemy too: UA flights routinely fill up in the closing hours.

How to request a same-day change

If United's app or site doesn't offer your preferred routing, call its reservations line, tell the representative that you want to make a same-day change, and provide the flights you picked out when checking flights for your departure and arrival cities. If the agent says they can't make that work, thank them for their time, hang up and call again.

If the representative says you'll owe a fare difference, thank them for their time, hang up and call again in a few hours. Be aware that may not always work on popular nonstop routes like EWR-SFO unless you're okay with a middle seat.

You can also try direct messaging United's Twitter account or utilizing the new chat tool on United's app .

FlyerTalk and other reports suggest that requesting a same-day change from a check-in counter agent is your least successful and slowest option, so use this as a last resort.

Related: How to quickly reach an airline customer service agent

Useful scenarios

The traditional use case for making a same-day change involves a meeting wrapping up early and a desire to get home to your friends or family. It's also a nice security policy if a meeting runs late or you get stuck in traffic en route to the airport. However, mastering this opens up helpful possibilities beyond simply getting an earlier or later flight.

• On city pairs with multiple daily flights (i.e., DCA-ORD), you can book a cheaper flight at a non-ideal time, then take your chances on same-day changing to the flight you wanted.
• You can change to an aircraft with more legroom or better upgrade odds.
• You can drop a connection to save time.
• You can change your day's second flight while on your first flight--for example, if a westbound transatlantic flight will get into Newark or Dulles enough ahead of schedule for you to grab an earlier domestic connection.

Finally, since you can same-day change from a flight for which you've already same-day changed, you could theoretically repeat the exercise over multiple days. But we don't advise making this a daily habit.

How upgrades work with same-day flight changes

There was a time when United offered elites the ability to maintain confirmed upgrades when utilizing same-day change. However, this isn't the case anymore. Now, as is the case with other airlines, when you change a flight, you're moved back to your originally-ticketed cabin and added to the upgrade standby list at your applicable upgrade priority.

Related: The ultimate guide to getting upgraded on United Airlines

Bottom line

United's same-day change policy contains several quirks that make it unique among the major U.S. legacy carriers, but it's worthwhile to learn them. While the fee is waived for United elite flyers, there are many instances where it's worth incurring $75 and adjusting your trip within 24 hours of departure. Alternatively, if you have flexibility in your travels, all travelers will soon be able to standby for an earlier flight free of charge.

Additional reporting by Rob Pegoraro.

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"A schedule change has occurred on your itinerary. If you booked via a travel agent or other website please contact them to verify the schedule change. If you booked through United reservations or on http://unitedairlines.com.au by clicking here. "

'Clicking here' just gets me to the list of United phone numbers.

So do I really need to contact United to confirm the schedule change? What happens if I don't contact them?

no need to do anything unless the change interferes with on going connections etc.

Yes that's what I thought so do nothing it is.

I have had (up to now) about 3 schedule changes

Personally, i did call to confirm i accepted the changes as until i did the Big Red Letters would not go away ( they irritated me!!!!)

Also, I felt better keeping everything ship shape - but others advise differently.

They changed my planes on one section altering my seating so i had to re-pick my seats.

I look at my itineries regularly to catch any changes - Would hate to arrive at Airport and because i couldn't be bothered making a phone call my booking could be messed up.

If you ignore the schedule change, eventually UA will assume you accepted them. Sometimes you will receive an automated phone call, sometimes it just disappears. Until you accept it, or it disappears, you will not be able to change your seat assignments.

This is only a problem if the schedule change causes you to miss an connection, etc. Read them carefully, as sometimes the change is due to an equipment swap, and you should check your seat assignments for any changes.

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity.

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United Airlines: It’s our schedule change, but you need to fix it

by Janice Hough | Nov 9, 2010 | Uncategorized

In the worst cases, a schedule change can make a trip impossible when there are no good alternatives. But even the most innocuous changes can still add a lot of hassle to a trip. And a lot of extra work for travelers and travel agents alike.

Last weekend, two clients had a weekend trip planned to see their daughter in college. They had cashed in miles for confirmed upgrades as well, way back in August.

Since then, the schedule had changed a few minutes on two of the flights, but only a few minutes, so no problem. Or, so we thought.

Until they tried to check in online late the night before the outbound flight, which had been changed from 6 a.m., to 6:01 a.m.

First, United.com gave them an error message indicating they needed to talk to a representative.

Since they were worried about the early morning departure, they called the airline. After almost an hour on hold, an agent (possibly in India), “Did something to the ticket,” so they could check in. Apparently it was a result of the small schedule change, although this is not always a problem.

So then they tried it again, with the United Indian agent waiting on the line, and the response was: “Upgrade has gone through but can’t be processed. Contact Web Support.”

At this point they got transferred to another United employee (this time a woman who said she was in the Phillippines). She eventually said it was fixed.

Well sort of. In my client’s words,

Except not because it turned out that they noticed the connecting flight couldn’t be checked in because ‘Requested upgrade has not been authorized for use by a Mileage Plus member.’ (at this point they were writing down the responses.)

So back to the phones.

This time the first agent they reached in India immediately set up a three-way call with the Philippines (where web support is apparently headquartered). This fourth agent, who after first mistakenly saying it was because they had standby upgrades, finally forced the check-in through.

Somehow the return check-in, where the flights also had slight schedule changes, went through with no problem.

But these now very wary clients have another trip later in November around Thanksgiving, where United has changed the connecting city as well as the times. The first agent I had talked to about this next trip said it would be no problem, but given the reported weekend hassles, I called to see if United could internally adjust the electronic ticket.

The answer this time was, that it should be adjusted, but United couldn’t do it.

“Just reissue the tickets,” he said.

Well, leaving aside the fact that this was a United Airlines ticket and I was calling the United help desk, I couldn’t just “reissue the tickets.”

The clients, again, had used miles to upgrade the tickets. Reissuing coach tickets into first class is a guaranteed “debit memo” (bill) from the airlines. To make it worse, the flights in question were sold out.

When I explained this, the agent (in India again) he went to his supervisor and came back several minutes later to say that United would “kindly overbook the flights back into coach” so we could exchange the tickets in our agency.

I asked, if you are going to go to all that trouble why can’t you just revalidate the tickets in the first place.

Nope, that would be too easy. So about 30 minutes later, a United supervisor had the flights double booked, instructing me to rebuild the original expired fare, reissue the tickets “as soon as possible,” and then cancel the duplicates. “Don’t cancel the upgraded flights by mistake,” he added.

Well over an hour after we started this exercise, the tickets were done. Except for our agency’s internal paperwork. I was assured that check-in should be easier. Probably.

(Unfortunately, the system won’t give you a test run for online check in until 24 hours prior.)

Apparently the new heightened TSA rules may be complicating this whole process, and one United agent I talked later to said that the new standby complimentary upgrade process can confuse the system when travelers use miles, especially when flights are changed.

United did say they would have been willing to reissue the tickets had the passenger booked online. Even so, the changes wouldn’t have been done automatically. So had the clients waited until they got to the airport, it would have been a race against time to have them make their flight.

This sort of craziness isn’t exclusive to United, in fact it was particularly bad when Delta and Northwest merged, for example. It’s just one more way in which the airline travel experience has become more and more stressful. And it doesn’t bode well for the United-Continental merger.

At least the airlines aren’t charging an additional telephone support fee for the whole experience of working these problems that their schedule changes create. Yet.

(Photo: Timetables by W.A.T.T. )

Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)

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Schedule Change

Travel Agency Procedures

Schedule Change Processing Guidelines

A Schedule Change is a planned change that may occur more than 72 hours prior to the flight’s scheduled departure. Examples - Change of flight times, change of equipment or carrier, flight cancellation due to a reduction in frequency, etc.

Whenever this occurs to a ticketed customer's itinerary, American Airlines will try to offer alternate protection whenever possible, maintaining the original ticketed origin and destination, including original length of stay.

It is important to note that due to nuances in Schedule Change system processing between other airlines and different GDS systems, our AA PNR may not always reflect the most recent other airline schedule change information.  For these scenarios, please continue to follow the indicated guidelines within this policy based on the schedule change that was received in your agency PNR.  Although the other airline schedule change may not appear in our AA PNR, these flights are still reported to AA for auditing purposes .

Additionally, American’s automated re-accommodation will queue all received schedule changes to the booking source for notification.  It is the responsibility of the booking source to accept the schedule change on their customer’s behalf, notify the customer of the change, and reissue or revalidate the ticket as applicable. If an alternate preferred flights is booked following our Schedule Change policy guidelines, the Reissue/ Revalidation (if applicable) must be done at time of rebooking.

Note: If the only change is to the flight number, the customer does not qualify for alternate flight re-accommodation or refund.

·           A reissue is not required for tickets containing AA Prime space only, and online check-in will not be affected.

·           If the ticket contains AA*/Codeshare or OA Prime flights, the ticket must be reissued.

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SalesLink Self-Service

Schedule Change checks the itinerary of your schedule change PNR to ensure the new flights meet American’s schedule change guidelines. SalesLink either revalidates the ticket (Revalidate American Prime Flights) or confirms your newly rebooked flights conform to the Schedule Change guidelines by adding PNR remarks. As an industry standard, the travel professional will continue to annotate SKCHG in the endorsement box when reissuing the ticket. 

Schedule Change service requests guidelines:

·           The cut off time for Domestic is 2 hours

·           The cut off time for International is 3 hours

·           Bookings that reflect the “C/” in the Name Field (Groups of 10 or more and  Corporate  bookings) will need to contact the Group and Meeting Travel (GMT) desk.

SalesLink Schedule Change Options:

1.      Revalidate AA Flights:

·           SalesLink will revalidate the ticket and add PNR Remarks

·           To qualify for a Revalidation, the segments intended to revalidate must be AA Prime – same inventory – same routings (including connection point)

2.      Reissue AA Flights:

·           SalesLink will verify that the new flights meet the Schedule Change guidelines and will document the PNR

·           This option would apply when the AA Prime flights don’t qualify for a revalidation (connection city change, for example)

·           When the AA Prime flights do not qualify for a revalidation, a reissue is required

3.      Reissue 300-Mile:

·           SalesLink will verify that the new flights meeting the Schedule Change guidelines and will document the PNR

·           When a change to origin or destination is allowed, Reissue 300-Mile will verify that the new flights meet the Schedule Change guidelines and will document the PNR

Schedule Change is 60 minutes or less

General Guidelines

·           For Basic Economy – refer to Basic Economy

·           If ticketed as a non-stop itinerary, may rebook non-stop or connecting

·           Must offer another flight on the same travel day as the affected flight*

·           At no time is it acceptable to book on a non-JB, non- one world carrier*

·           OA*/Codeshare segments are  not allowed

o     For example:

BA*7053 LHR MAD  915A 1245P

OPERATED BY IBERIA                                       

*Any exceptions to the above guidelines will be listed below

If the overall schedule change was 60 minutes or less, please follow the suggested rebooking options as described below: 

·          AA Prime

·           Offer another AA Prime flight, maintaining same inventory, same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed

§    If ticketed as a connection, may offer non-stop when same ticketed inventory is available

·           Offer alternate AA*/JB flight, maintaining same or equivalent RBD inventory, same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed

·           If unable to book for the same day due to the scheduled flight times are not available, may book the first available flight the day before or day after, maintaining the same inventory

·          AA*(Codeshare)

AA*/JB Affected flight is operated by a Joint Business Carrier (AY/BA/IB/JL/QF)

·           May offer another flight wholly on AA Prime or AA*/JB, maintaining same or equivalent RBD inventory, same travel day, and same origination/destination as originally ticketed

·           May rebook the ticketed AA*/JB flight on the operating JB prime flight when the codeshare equivalent is no longer offered, maintaining the same ticketed inventory and same routing

·           If unable to book for the same day due to the scheduled flight times are not available, may book the day before or day after, maintaining the same inventory

Affected flight is operated by an AA codeshare carrier (which may include 3M/6E/9K/AS/AT/CX/CZ/EI/FJ/G3/GK/HA/JA/JQ/LY/QR/RJ/TN)

·           Offer another AA*codeshare flight on  the same ticketed operating carrier,  maintaining same inventory, same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed

o     When the codeshare is no longer offered,  you may rebook on the prime flight of the  same ticketed operating carrier , maintaining the equivalent RBD inventory for the ticketed fare, same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed

·           Offer alternate AA Prime or AA*/JB flight, maintaining same inventory or equivalent RBD, for the same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed

·          AA/OA Prime

AA/JB Affected prime flight is a Joint Business Carrier (AY/BA/IB/JL/QF)

·           Offer another flight on the same ticketed JB prime carrier, maintaining same inventory, same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed

·           Offer alternate flight on AA Prime or JB Prime flight, maintaining equivalent RBD inventory for the ticketed fare, same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed

AA/ one world Prime (non-JB) Affected prime flight is a  one world carrier (AS, AT, CX, MH, QR, RJ, S7, UL)

·           Offer another flight on the same ticketed  one world prime carrier, maintaining same inventory, same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed

·           Offer alternate flight on AA Prime, AA*/JB, JB Prime, or any prime  one world carrier flight that is allowed within the fare rule, maintaining equivalent RBD inventory for the ticketed fare, same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed

AA/Non- one world Prime Affected prime flight involves any other airline with whom AA has an Electronic Ticket Agreement

·           Offer another flight on the same ticketed OA Prime carrier, maintaining same inventory, same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed

·           If schedule change results in an Invalid Connection, may rebook the AA segments to have a valid connection with the Other Airline flight segment

·          OA Ticket Stock

Note: Always verify the schedule change guidelines with the validating carrier

·           May offer another flight on the same ticketed OA carrier, maintaining same inventory, same travel day, and same origination/destination as originally ticketed

·           If the customer prefers a different carrier or alternate route, please refer to the validating carrier (the carrier that represents the ticket stock)

Schedule Change is greater than 1 hour (61+ minutes)

·           These guidelines also apply when the schedule change causes:

o     An invalid connection

o     A nonstop flight changed to a through flight or connecting flight

o     A through flight changed to a connecting flight

o     A change in operating carrier

o     A change in departure or arrival city (this does not include change to connection city)

o     A codeshare flight is no longer confirmed and alternate codeshare is no longer offered

·           For Basic Economy – refer to  Basic Economy

·           May offer co-terminals for AA Prime flights only if the flight times are closer to the original schedule

·           If the customer has chosen an alternate co-terminal airport, they may use that airport for their continuing or return journey. This change must be made at the time of original ticket reissue

·           May add/remove an alternate connecting point within valid fare routing for the destination on the original ticket

·           May offer another flight on the same day or within 1 day before or after the customer’s affected original departure time*

·           AA destinations with less than daily service may book 1st available for that market before/after the original scheduled flight

o     May change their return and/or continuing travel dates on AA or AA*/ one world® to match original length of stay, maintaining the same ticketed inventory

OPERATED BY IBERIA    

Note:                                  

·           A refund is  not  permitted for a schedule change less than 241+ minutes

o      For all refund qualifications, refer to  Refunds

*Any exceptions to the above guidelines will be listed below:

If the overall schedule change was 61 minutes or more, please follow the suggested rebooking options as described below: 

·           Offer any available AA Prime flight, including American Eagle and affiliates, in the lowest available inventory, up to H for main cabin

·           For Premium Cabins, (First, Business, Premium Economy), if the same inventory is not available, may book the lowest available inventory in the same cabin as ticketed

§    If the ticketed cabin is not available, you may downgrade to lower cabin in any inventory – rebooking to the higher cabin is allowed when/if the original ticketed cabin becomes available

·           May book within 24 hours of the original departure or up to 7 days before or after the originally scheduled flight

·           When no other AA Prime, offer an alternate flight on AA*/JB or JB Prime, which must be within 1 day before/after the original departure time, maintaining same origin/destination as ticketed, in lowest available inventory, up to and including H for main cabin

·           When no other AA Prime, AA*/JB, or JB Prime flights are offered, offer AA*/ one world, or  one world Prime flights, which must be booked within 1 day before/after the original departure time, maintaining same origin/destination as ticketed, same ticketed inventory

Affected flight is operated by a Joint Business Carrier (AY/BA/IB/JL/QF)

·           Offer any available AA*/JB flight, including their affiliates, in the same ticketed inventory – if the ticketed inventory is not available, may book in the lowest available inventory of the ticketed cabin, up to and including H inventory for the main cabin

§    If the Premium ticketed cabin is not available, you may downgrade to lower cabin in any inventory – rebooking to the higher cabin is allowed if/when the original ticketed cabin becomes available

·           Offer any available JB Prime flight, in the same ticketed inventory – if the ticketed inventory is not available, may book in the lowest available inventory of the ticketed cabin, up to and including H inventory for the main cabin

·           May book AA*/ one world flight or  one world prime, maintaining same origin/destination, same ticketed inventory or equivalent RBD inventory for ticketed fare when booking  one world prime

Must confirm that you have received a record locator or OSI acknowledgement from the AA*/ one world or  one world prime carrier. If not, contact the Other Airline directly to inquire

·           May book up to 7 days before or after the originally scheduled flight

Affected flight is operated by an AA codeshare carrier (which may  include: 3M/6E/9K/AS/AT/CX/CZ/EI/FJ/G3/GK/HA/JA/JQ/LY/QR/RJ/TN)

·           Offer another AA* codeshare flight  on the same ticketed operating carrier , maintaining the same inventory and same origin/destination

o     Must confirm that you have received a record locator or OSI acknowledgement from the AA*/non-JB carrier. If not, contact the Other Airline directly to inquire

·           May book AA Prime or AA*/JB or JB Prime flight, maintaining same origin/destination, in the lowest available inventory, same cabin, up to H for main cabin or equivalent RBD inventory for the ticketed fare when booking JB Prime

§    Must confirm that you have received a record locator or OSI acknowledgement from the AA*/ one world or  one world prime carrier. If not, contact the Other Airline directly to inquire

AA/JB Affected flight is a prime Joint Business Carrier (AY/BA/ IB/JL/QF)

·           Offer any available AA Prime, AA*/JB, or JB Prime flight in the same or lowest available inventory, same cabin, up to and including H inventory for main cabin

·           May book up to 2 days before or after the originally scheduled flight

AA/ one world Prime (non-JB) Affected prime flight is a  one world carrier (AS/AT/CX/MH/QR/RJ/S7/UL)

·           Offer another flight on the same ticketed prime carrier, AA Prime, AA*/JB, or AA*/ one world, in the equivalent RBD inventory, maintaining same origin/destination

·           If available, may book wholly AA prime flights, replacing OA Prime flights, in the same inventory or equivalent RBD of the ticketed fare

·           Offer any available JB Prime flight, maintaining same origin/destination, in the equivalent RBD inventory for the ticketed fare

·           Offer any available  one world   prime flight, maintaining same origin/destination, in the equivalent RBD inventory for the ticketed fare If schedule change results in an Invalid Connection, may rebook the AA segments to have a valid connection with the Other Airline flight segment

·           Offer another flight on the same ticketed OA Prime carrier, maintaining same inventory, same travel day, and same origination/destination as originally ticketed

§    If original ticketed inventory is not available, must contact that OA for overbooking, or treat as a voluntary change

·           Rebook on valid Other Airline that is allowed within the ticketed fare rule, maintaining equivalent RBD inventory, same travel day, and same origin and destination as originally ticketed

·           If customer requests alternate carrier not allowed in the fare rules, follow normal handling processes for voluntary changes(s) including all applicable collections

·           Offer another flight on the same ticketed OA carrier, maintaining same inventory, same travel day, and same origin/destination as originally ticketed  

·           If schedule change results in an Invalid Connection, may rebook the AA segments to have a valid connection with the Other Airline flight segment  

Basic Economy

Follow the General Guidelines based on the length of flight time change. See exceptions below:

·           AA Prime flights must be rebooked in B inventory for Basic Economy fare  types

·           AA Prime flights with less than daily service may book the 1st available flight up to 7 days before/after the affected flight, and it must be booked in B inventory  only

·           AA*/JB flights with a schedule change that is 60 minutes or less may book 1 st  available AA*/JB flight within 1 day before or after the affected  flight

o     When booking on AA Prime, itinerary must be booked in B inventory  only

o     When booking on AA*/JB, itinerary must be booked in the original ticketed  inventory   

·           AA*/JB flights with a schedule change that is greater than 1 hour (61+ minutes) may book the 1st available AA Prime or AA*/JB flight up to 7 days before/after the affected  flight

o     When booking on AA*/JB, itinerary should be booked in original ticketed inventory, or lowest available inventory up to and including H  inventory   

§    When AA*/JB flight no longer exists, may be booked on JB Prime in original ticketed inventory, or lowest available inventory up to and including H inventory

Basic Economy fares booked in "B" class  must  remain in "B" class when eligible for self-service rebooking due to unacceptable schedule change. If "B" class is unavailable, please find an alternate flight where B class is available.

Changes after Schedule Change Acceptance

When the agency has accepted the schedule change on their customer’s behalf, and have either:

·           Reissued the ticket for the schedule change annotating  SKCHG  in the Endorsement Box – OR -

·           Revalidated the ticket for schedule change using SalesLink - Schedule Change –  OR -

·           Revalidate AA Flights or AA Auto-Revalidated the ticket

Then , the agency may exchange the ticket by annotating  SKCHG  in the Endorsement Box under the following conditions:

·           The original exchange is unacceptable to the customer

·           If a customer was protected beyond their original travel time or date and an earlier flight becomes available

·           A subsequent schedule change occurs 

–OR–

·           The agency may refund the exchanged ticket if the original Schedule Change met the parameters for refund.  See  Travel Agency Refund Processing Guidelines

Reduction in Frequency ( i.e..  Day of Week) / Suspension of Service

If the Schedule Change is due to an AA, AA*/Codeshare, or AA/OA Prime* Reduction in Frequency (Day of Week), Suspension of Service, or withdrawal from a market,  and  No Protection Agreement is in place, Travel Agent may rebook as follows:

AA Prime, or AA*/Codeshare

·           Offer the 1st available flight before/after the affected flight,  using the same ticketed operating carrier,  same origin/destination, and maintaining same inventory as ticketed

·           Offer the 1 st  available flight before/after the affected flight the affected, using AA Prime, AA*/JB, or JB Prime ( AY/BA/IB/JL/QF) , maintaining same origin/destination, and may book in the lowest available inventory, up to and including H in the main cabin

·           Offer to reroute customer same day via an alternate connecting city or next available connecting or non-stop flight. May book the first available connecting flight the next day if new flights require an overnight

·           AA destinations with less than daily service; may book 1st available flight before/after the original scheduled flight for that market

·           Offer alternate AA*/codeshare flight, maintaining same inventory and same origin/destination as ticketed

·           When no other AA* flight exists, it is ok to book on the original Operating Carrier’s Prime Flight in the equivalent RBD for the ticketed fare

§    RBD is the booking code validation/inventory specific to the ticketed fare

·           If AA/AA* codeshare/JB Prime flights are  no longer offered , it is ok to book on  an ‘other’  airline as:

§    one world Prime, must be allowed within the ticketed fare rule and the correct RBD inventory for that carrier must be used

§    OA Prime (non-JB, non- one world), must be allowed within the ticketed fare rule and the correct RBD inventory for that carrier must be used

§    Travel Agent should ensure a record locator is received from the other airline prior to ticket exchange

*AA/OA Prime included in Itinerary:

If   the original ticketed Other Airline prime segment results in an invalid connection or no longer offers that service,  and  no protection agreement is in place, Travel Agent:

·           May rebook on valid Other Airline that is allowed within the ticketed fare rule, maintaining equivalent RBD inventory, same travel day, and same origin and destination as originally ticketed

§    AA must have a valid interline agreement with this secondary carrier and the new segment(s) booking class must be valid for the fare ticketed.

§    If RBD inventory is not available,  must treat as voluntary change or refund

·           Must confirm that you have received a record locator or OSI acknowledgement from the Other Airline. If not, contact the Other Airline directly to inquire

Additional Categories

Revalidation

Revalidation can only occur on American and American Eagle Prime flights and is not applicable if any part of the itinerary involves codeshare space.  Typically, the AA Reaccom tool will revalidate eligible itineraries through automation and will send an SSR advising a  reval  has been performed. For example: 

For schedule changes which occurred prior to January 16, 2022:

·           ATTN AGY TKT ALREADY REVAL BY AA PER SCHD CHNG  ddmm  (date)

For schedule changes which occur on/after January 16, 2022:

·           ATTN AGY TKT REVALD FOR AA FLIGHTS ONLY PER SKD CHG  ddmm  (date)

This action does not prevent the agency from revalidating again should the customer find the change unacceptable.

Travel Agent Guidelines for Revalidation

When the customer does not accept the new itinerary, the itinerary may be changed according to Schedule Change guidelines as provided in this document. Once the itinerary is changed, the ticket may be revalidated via SalesLink.

Tickets Eligible for Revalidation:

·           American and American Eagle® prime flights only 

·           Change in flight number

·           Change in flight departure/arrival time

§    City pair and inventory must remain the same

·           Change of date

§    1st available flight as close to the original departure time as possible may fall on different date due to last flight in/first flight out, or reduction in frequency

  Determining Length of Flight Time Change

The flight time change is determined by the length of delay to the new connecting flight and its overall effect on the total directional travel time which may be unacceptable to the customer, per the example:

1 AA3266L 27MAY Q CIDORD WK2 245P 400P HRS /DCAA*FISXZF /E

2 AA3661L 27MAY Q CIDORD*SC2 1115A 1230P HRS /DCAA*FISXZF /E

3 AA2610L 27MAY Q ORDTUS WK2 515P 657P HRS /DCAA*FISXZF /E

4 AA 712L 27MAY Q ORDTUS*SC2 713P 859P HRS /DCAA*FISXZF /E

·           Customer was leaving at 2:45pm and arriving at 6:57pm = Total travel time of 4  hrs  and 12 min

·           Now the customer is leaving at 11:15am and arriving at 8:59pm = Total travel time of 9hrs and 47 min.

Even though neither of the flights changed by greater than 4 hours, the total  directional  travel time was affected by more than 4 hours, which makes the ticket eligible for refund.

Schedule Change results in change of airport

There may be times when a customer is protected to/from an alternate airport when there are no other options to the customer's ticketed origin/destination. This automation process is designed to provide the customer with a confirmed reservation on another flight, instead of leaving them without any protection. 

 When this occurs, and the customer does not accept the provided protection, you may:  

·           Offer an alternate flight to the same protection city (must be on AA Prime)

§    If the protection offered was booked on OA*/AA, the alternate flight must be booked as OA*/AA

·           Offer an alternate airport within a 300-mile radius from the original affected flight

·           Offer the customer a refund

300 Mile Radius

There may be times when a schedule change occurs that is unacceptable to the customer.  If there are no acceptable options to the customer’s original ticketed AA or AA*/JB origin/destination, agency may rebook to an alternate AA, AA*/JB, or JB Prime airport that is within a 300-mile radius of the affected ticketed city and within the same country.

Rebooking to an alternate airport is allowed  only  under the following conditions:

·           Service to the ticketed airport has been discontinued

·           The Schedule Change is greater than 1 hour (61+ min)  

·           The Schedule Change creates an invalid connection

·           The Schedule Change creates an extended connection time that is greater than 4 hours (241+ minutes)

§    Please note that if there is a valid connection within the same origin/destination with an arrival time within 1 hour of the original ticketed schedule, 300-Mile Radius does not apply

·           The Schedule Change creates an involuntary overnight at a connection city

·           The Non-Stop flight changes to a connection and the new routing within a 300-mile radius offers a Non-stop

Rebooking guidelines:

·           If the customer has chosen an alternate airport, they may use that airport for their continuing or return journey – this option must occur at the time of the exchange

·           The new flight must be rescheduled for the  same ticketed date of travel,  but may be earlier or later than the original scheduled departure time

·           Book the same or lowest available inventory, same cabin, up to and including H inventory for the main cabin

·           If unable to book in the same cabin as originally ticketed, an alternate flight must be selected

·           Endorsement Box requirement –  SKCHG/300M

Flight changes from non-stop or through-flight to a connection

·           Follow the  ‘ Schedule Change is greater than 1 hour   guidelines

Schedule Change – Instant Upsell Handling Procedures

Use the procedures shown below for customers who purchased an Instant Upsell (IU) for their ticketed flights directly from American on aa.com.  The IU is issued as an EMD with a separate document number therefore it does not affect the ticket issued by the agency.  These upgrades are booked in either F, J, or W inventories and can be identified by the following SSRs in the PNR:

·           OTHS INSTANT UPSELL ANCILLARY EMD ISSUED 001xxxxxxxxxx  

·           OTHS AGENCY RETAINS CONTROL OF TKT FOR REISSUES

When a Schedule Change occurs, automation will rebook the customers in the upgraded cabin when available. Agencies are responsible for handling Schedule Changes sent by AA to PNRs containing an IU. The following procedures apply:

When the customer accepts the Schedule Change as protected by AA:

·           Ticket  must  be reissued by agency as ticket cannot be revalidated

o     Agency is responsible for advising customer of the schedule change

o     Reissue the ticket in the upgraded inventory as accommodated by AA

o     Special Waiver Code Required :   SKCHG/IU

§    SKCHG/IU   must appear in the Endorsement Box of the new ticket or be subject to a debit memo

When the customer  does not accept  Schedule Change as protected by AA:

·           Schedule Change is 60 minutes or less

o     Offer another AA Prime flight, same origin/destination, same travel day, and maintaining same inventory of the Instant Upsell already purchased

§    If same Instant Upsell inventory is not available, you may downgrade to lower cabin in the applicable inventory for the ticketed fare

§    Note:  When downgraded, you may advise the customer to submit a refund request for the IU EMD number(s) via  AA Refunds  website

·           Waitlisting for Instant Upsell cabin is not applicable

o     If unable to book for the same day due to the scheduled flight times are not available, may book the first available flight the day before or day after, same origin/destination and maintaining same inventory of the Instant Upsell already purchased

o     Any changes outside the above guidelines would follow Schedule Change Guidelines for 60 minutes or less rebooking in the lower cabin in the applicable inventory for the ticketed fare

·           Schedule Change is greater than 1 hour (61+ minutes)

§    If same inventory is not available, you may downgrade to lower cabin in the applicable inventory for the ticketed fare, or lowest available inventory up to H for main cabin

o     May book within 24 hours of the original departure, or up to 7 days before or after the originally scheduled flight, maintaining same inventory of the Instant Upsell already purchased

o     May offer co-terminals for AA Prime flights only if the flight times are closer to the original schedule

o     Any changes outside the above guidelines would follow Schedule Change Guidelines for greater than 1 hour (61+ minutes) rebooking in the lower cabin in the applicable inventory for the ticketed fare, or lowest inventory up to H for main cabin

Endorsement Box Requirement for Instant Upsell:

o     Ticket  must  be reissued by agency as ticket cannot be revalidated

Co-Terminals/Multiple Airport Cities - AA Prime Flight Only

Customers who are traveling to/from a co-terminal location may be changed to an alternate co-terminal airport, if requested, for AA Prime or AA*/Codeshare segments only, provided the flights times are closer to the original schedule. The use of other airline prime flights  are  not allowed.

MCT Issues (Minimum Connecting Time)

On occasion, the minimum connecting time will change for a given city.  When this happens, a Schedule Change will not be processed, however, the itinerary will now reflect Invalid Minimum Connecting Time (MCT) – AA or AA* (any AA Codeshare) When this occurs on American, American Eagle®, or AA* (any AA Codeshare) Itineraries, may use the guidelines for  Schedule Change is greater than 1 hour

Also, when the schedule change results in an invalid connection and the  minimum connecting time can no longer be met,  may use the guidelines for  Schedule Change is greater than 1 hour

Refunds 

When a customer requests a refund due to an unacceptable Schedule Change, the refund should be processed via your GDS.  For eligible tickets, the waiver code for a schedule change refund is:  SCRFND

Refer to  Travel Agency Refund Processing  for more information

Determine eligibility for refund below:

Schedule Change is 240min (4 hours) or less :

·           Refund is  NOT  allowed

·           Refundable fares with a cancellation fee – May refund to original form of payment (FOP)  minus the cancellation fee

Note: Valid Tickets originally issued prior to April 8,  2020  are eligible for refund if they had a schedule change of 60 minutes or more.

Schedule Change is greater than 4 hours (241+ minutes)

If the overall directional schedule change was 241 minutes or greater, you may:

·           Refund to Original Form of Payment – as long as customer was Holding Confirmed (HK) prior to the  change

Schedule Change results in the change from a Non-stop or Through-flight to a Connection

If the non-stop flight changes to a connecting flight, with no other similar non-stop alternatives, you may:

Schedule Change results in a Change to the Operating Carrier

For example, if the flight changes from AA*/IB operated to an AA*/BA operated flight, or from AA to AE (American to American Eagle), you may:

·            Refund to Original Form of Payment – as long as customer was Holding Confirmed (HK) prior to the  change

Note:  This does not include a change to the type of equipment

Schedule Change is due to an AA or AA*/Codeshare Reduction in Frequency (Day of Week), Suspension of Service, or withdrawal from a market

For example, if the ticketed flight changes from operating daily to operating 3 times a week, or if the schedule reduces from 3 days a week down to two, or a market suspension is introduced, or the flight is no longer operating due to withdrawal from the market, you may:

Schedule Change results in a change of airport

·           Refund to Original Form of Payment applies for change of airport for origin or destination – as long as customer was Holding Confirmed (HK) prior to the  change

·           Refund to Original Form of Payment applies for change of connection airport when change is greater than 241 minutes

A schedule change which results in an invalid connection due to the minimum connecting time (MCT) standard is no longer met

This type of schedule change is considered an illegal connection.  When invalid connections occur and there is no connecting flight on the same day that allows for a 4 hour or less change to their total directional travel time, you may:

A Schedule Change which results in a change of the ticketed cabin (downgrade)

For example, if the customer was ticketed for First Class and was downgraded to Business Class or was ticketed for Premium Economy and was changed to Main Cabin, you may:

o     This includes the  whole ticket  (no longer using the ticket)

·           Submit ticket(s) for partial refund adjustment post-travel for the affected downgraded segment

For Refund requests on  partial tickets , including just the downgraded segment, Travel Agent may process by: 

·           ARC Agencies: submit ticket to American Airlines Refunds for downgrade refund

·           BSP Agencies: submit the Refund Application (RA) form through BSPLink, add downgrade information to the comments on the RA

Note:  If the passenger has accepted a compensation voucher at the airport for the downgrade or for the inconvenience of the downgrade and the passenger travels on that ticket (ticket is now  used ) and now the passenger is requesting  additional  compensation for the downgrade, please direct them to Customer Relations.

A Schedule Change which results in a cancelled flight (UN/WK status)  and  no replacement/protection flight was  provided

Note: This option does not apply when a replacement/protection flight is provided as part of the schedule change within the same or a subsequent transaction

Travel Agency Refund Processing Guidelines

Updated: November 2023