Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
American Airlines Eases Non-Refundable Ticket Rules
Aired August 20, 2003 - 06:48 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Time for a little business buzz right now. American Airlines is relaxing its ticket rules.
Let's get the details from Joya Dass at the Nasdaq market site.
Does this mean savings for us?
JOYA DASS, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know remember last year, all the airlines collectively decided on this use it or lose it policy. In other words, you or I would decide that we can't travel at the last minute, you can't use your ticket with that time span that used to be allotted, which was about a year to reuse the ticket.
Well, American Airlines is going back on that decision and they are saying that now if you decide that you need to change your travel plans at the last minute or you miss your flight, yes, you do have that year's time to reuse the ticket. Now that doesn't mean that there aren't any strings attached here. You do, of course, have to pay the $100 change fee and you have to make sure you do that rescheduling before the flight leaves.
Now what was happening is that a lot of folks last year were saying OK, well if I've got a lot of flexibility here, you know I guess I'll change my mind at the last minute and then American Airlines was left with all these empty seats. So now they're going to actually be able to reuse those seats.
And there are hopes here that of course that American is only going to be the first of many other airlines that will probably do the same thing. So that's good news for both you and me if we decide that we're going to be a little fickle at the last minute and do something else with our travel plans.
COSTELLO: Yes, that only proves that American Airlines has a lot of empty seats right now so they have changed their mind.
DASS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Because if the planes were full, they wouldn't be changing their minds.
DASS: And you know when we're talking about the airline industry, here's a sector that's just been really battered down since September 11. So they could -- they could really use all the seats that they can.
COSTELLO: Yes, that's right, they have to be nice to us.
Joya Dass, many thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired August 20, 2003 - 06:48 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Time for a little business buzz right now. American Airlines is relaxing its ticket rules.
Let's get the details from Joya Dass at the Nasdaq market site.
Does this mean savings for us?
JOYA DASS, CNN FINANCIAL NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know remember last year, all the airlines collectively decided on this use it or lose it policy. In other words, you or I would decide that we can't travel at the last minute, you can't use your ticket with that time span that used to be allotted, which was about a year to reuse the ticket.
Well, American Airlines is going back on that decision and they are saying that now if you decide that you need to change your travel plans at the last minute or you miss your flight, yes, you do have that year's time to reuse the ticket. Now that doesn't mean that there aren't any strings attached here. You do, of course, have to pay the $100 change fee and you have to make sure you do that rescheduling before the flight leaves.
Now what was happening is that a lot of folks last year were saying OK, well if I've got a lot of flexibility here, you know I guess I'll change my mind at the last minute and then American Airlines was left with all these empty seats. So now they're going to actually be able to reuse those seats.
And there are hopes here that of course that American is only going to be the first of many other airlines that will probably do the same thing. So that's good news for both you and me if we decide that we're going to be a little fickle at the last minute and do something else with our travel plans.
COSTELLO: Yes, that only proves that American Airlines has a lot of empty seats right now so they have changed their mind.
DASS: Yes.
COSTELLO: Because if the planes were full, they wouldn't be changing their minds.
DASS: And you know when we're talking about the airline industry, here's a sector that's just been really battered down since September 11. So they could -- they could really use all the seats that they can.
COSTELLO: Yes, that's right, they have to be nice to us.
Joya Dass, many thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
