Reservations & tickets FAQs

You can change your reservation online if your:

• Travel was booked on aa.com or through American Airlines Reservations
• Travel was booked by a travel agent or travel website (may require changes through the original booking source – check with travel agent or the website)
• Travel originates within the U.S.
• Trip isn't an AAdvantage award, booked with a promotional code or part of a group booking
• Have at least 3 hours before your next scheduled flight

You can access your reservation from “My trips/check in” on the homepage or go to "Find reservations". After you retrieve your reservation, look for the “Change trip” option.

Find a reservation

If your reservation doesn’t have the “Change trip” option, contact Reservations.

Contact Reservations

You can book up until 2 hours before departure. If the flight leaves in less than 2 hours, please go to the ticket counter at the airport.

You can book a flight on aa.com up to 331 days in advance.

You can book up to 6 passengers in one reservation on aa.com. For groups of 10 or more, contact Group & Meeting Travel. Special fares and discounts for group travel are available.

Learn about Group & Meeting Travel

Yes. An additional charge (per person) will be required for reservations made by travel agents or through another website that are changed by our Reservations, airport or Travel Center personnel.

Other airline reservations are on a request basis only and may take 24 hours or more for confirmation. In addition, some airlines require post-booking reconfirmation of reservations made on aa.com. Please check with the airline for more details.

Reservations ticketed by our reservations offices are subject to an additional charge.

Learn about reservation service charges

Same-day flight change allows you to confirm a seat on a different flight on your day of departure on any American Airlines and/or American Eagle flight where eligible seats are available. The alternate flight must be for your same origin and destination and your flight change can only be confirmed within 24 hours of departure of the desired flight.

You can make the change on aa.com, at the airport (at the self-service kiosk or ticket counter) or call Reservations.

If you still want to try for a different flight, same-day standby lets you standby for an earlier American or American Eagle flight (with the same routing on your day of departure). Unlike same-day flight change, same-day standby doesn’t guarantee a seat on a flight.

Same-day standby allows you to standby for an earlier American or American Eagle flight on your day of departure. You can request to be added to the standby list on aa.com or at airport self-service kiosks.

If you’re standing by for an earlier flight on your departure day, you will retain your original flight reservation until you are confirmed on the earlier flight. Same-day standby does not guarantee a seat on a flight.

You’ll have the option to guarantee a seat on a different flight if same-day flight change is available. If it’s not available, you may have the option to standby for an earlier flight with same-day standby.

The standby policy applies to travel within and between the U.S., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, the Caribbean or Canada on American and/or American Eagle.

Customers who receive complimentary confirmed same-day flight changes

You can request same-day standby on aa.com or at the airport self-service kiosks only. You can request a same-day flight change on aa.com, at the airport, or you can call Reservations.

The ticket number can be found on your:

• Confirmation email and receipt – look toward the end of the email under the 'Receipt' section
• Receipt from Airport / City Ticket Office – look at the bottom in the middle of the ticket
• Credit card statement

The ticket number is 13 characters long and also contains the airline code. The ticket number is the last 10 digits. Keep in mind there are separate ticket numbers for add-ons like seats, upgrades and bags.

The airline code can be found on your:

• Confirmation email and receipt – look toward the end of the email under the 'Receipt' section
• Receipt from Airport / City Ticket Office – look at the bottom in the middle of the ticket
• Credit card statement

The airline code is the first 3 digits of the ticket number and starts with a zero. The airline code for American is 001. Keep in mind there are separate ticket numbers for add-ons like seats, upgrades and bags.

In select markets you can hold your reservation up to 24 hours for free if you're booking your trip 7 days or more before departure.

In select markets look for the “hold” option on the review and pay page when you book an American or codeshare flight on aa.com.

If you held your reservation on aa.com, choose “Travel information” at the top of aa.com, then click “My trips" on the right.

• If you're logged in - Select the trip and then choose “purchase” near the bottom of the page to enter your credit card information.
• If you're not logged in - Go to “'Find reservations” and enter your record locator.

No. Multiple reservations to one or more destinations or around the same date or time may not be held.

No. Reservations with an aa.com promotion code are "instant purchase" only.

Customers in Latin America and the Caribbean can hold reservations using express ticket service on aa.com/espanol. Call your local American Airlines reservations to complete and pay for your ticket.

Learn about express ticket service

• Payment for extended holds is processed immediately.
• You must extend the hold for all passengers in the itinerary.
• You can’t use miles to purchase an extended hold.
• The extended hold fee is non-refundable.

The option to extend your hold is only offered on select routes and is subject to availability. It is only offered to customers traveling on American Airlines marketed and operated flights and American Eagle® services operated by Envoy Air Inc., SkyWest Airlines, Inc., ExpressJet Airlines, Inc., or Republic Airline Inc.

No. You can’t make changes to the itinerary once it has been held using the extended hold feature.

If you’ve had a change in plans, you can cancel your existing hold and choose new flights. You would need to purchase the extended hold product again for your new itinerary (subject to availability).

Yes. You can use two different credit cards as long as they’re issued in the same country. Using a credit card with a different country’s billing address to purchase a ticket would result in the ticket being re-priced according to the address on that specific card.

We accept most major credit and debit cards and a variety of other payment methods. Only one card can be used when you book on aa.com (but you can use multiple gift cards).

See all payment options

If you aren't an AAdvantage^® member, use the homepage dropdown menu to choose the country where your credit card was issued, as we might use local currency, applicable fares, and available space on flights from that specific country.

If you're an AAdvantage^® member using a credit card issued in the same country registered in your account profile, log in from the home page.

If you're an AAdvantage^® member using a credit card not issued in the same country as registered in your account profile, log in after choosing your flights.

Fares for countries not listed will be in USD.

Go to aa.com, choose flights and enter the eVoucher number and PIN on the payment page. You can also contact Reservations (and we'll waive the ticketing fee).

Learn how to use your eVoucher Opens another site in a new window that may not meet accessibility guidelines

eVouchers are redeemable toward the purchase of the base air fare and directly associated taxes, fees and charges that are collected as part of the fare calculation in the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. eVouchers cannot be used for ancillary products and/or services that are sold separately, such as upgrades; Main Cabin Extra seats, Preferred Seats, Standard seats, Mileage Multiplier, Priority, Extended Hold, Day of departure flight changes or standby, Admirals Club^®®

See American Airlines eVouchers terms and conditions Opens another site in a new window that may not meet accessibility guidelines

• Yes. They expire 1 year from the issue date.
• eVouchers are non-refundable, but can be used by a friend or family member.

The terms are governed by the rules that apply to the specific fare you have purchased. If a refundable fare was purchased, the amount may be refunded in the form of a paper voucher.

Reservations and ticket changes

Visit the Fly Now Payment Plan for information

You can use PayPal when purchasing your tickets on aa.com if you reside in the U.S., Puerto Rico or U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada and the United Kingdom. If your PayPal payment is declined for any reason, your reservation will be canceled.

PayPal is also available when you purchase your tickets on mobile.aa.com.

In the U.S., PayPal can be combined with an AA gift card or eVoucher.

You can get a refund for tickets bought with PayPal from our refunds site or by calling Reservations.

• Request a refund Opens another site in a new window that may not meet accessibility guidelines
• Contact Reservations

Visit aa.com to book travel on flights that originate in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) that are operated by American or American Eagle or any oneworld^® partner. You can also use your flight discount to travel on codeshares (flights with an American flight number that are operated by another airline).

We're sorry, we don't offer emergency or bereavement fares.

We do offer government or military fares in some markets.

Contact Reservations for more information

Wholly unrestricted fares are fully refundable and do not have advance purchase requirements. If you purchase a ticket that is an unrestricted fare, you can make changes to your flight with no change fee (based on seat availability). However, an additional collection of fare may apply.

Reservations placed on hold on aa.com will be guaranteed for 24 hours or until midnight the following day, whichever gives you more time. In the event that your reservation is canceled during that period due to advance booking requirements, please contact Reservations.

• Learn about holding your reservation on aa.com
• Contact Reservations

• U.S. residents can buy trip insurance up to midnight (EST), the day before your departure.
• Residents of Canada and Mexico can buy trip insurance during the flight purchase on aa.com.

Yes, if you provide your email address then the trip insurance provider will email it to you. If you don’t provide your email address the confirmation will be sent via regular mail. Your confirmation will contain your trip insurance details, including a Certificate of Insurance/policy.

If you’re a U.S. resident, you can also visit the Allianz Global Assistance site to get your policy. Residents outside the U.S. can contact the insurance provider directly:

• Canada - questions@allianz-assistance.ca
• Mexico - travelprotect@allianz-assistance.com.mx

It’s possible the confirmation email may be in your SPAM folder, please check for an email from these applicable addresses:

• U.S. - Allianz Global Assistance US customerservice@allianzassistance.com
• Canada - Allianz Global Assistance questions@allianz-assistance.ca
• Mexico - Allianz Global Assistance Mexico travelprotect@allianz-assistance.com.mx

U.S. residents may also visit the Allianz Global Assistance site to get your policy, and non-U.S. residents can contact the insurance provider directly.

Trip insurance products are sold by third-party insurance providers, not American, so you’ll receive a separate confirmation. All policy documentation will be sent directly to you from the insurance provider.

U.S. residents can modify or cancel a policy online by visiting the Allianz Global Assistance site to Manage Your Policy. Non-U.S. residents should contact the applicable trip insurance provider as cancellation policies vary by country of residence. You may incur additional costs for changes to your policy.

Visit Allianz Global Assistance trip insurance

No. Trip cancellation coverage will only refund prepaid, non-refundable payments if you have to cancel for an unexpected covered reason. Reasons may include sudden covered medical emergencies, death of a family member or traveling companion, certain terrorist acts, being called for jury duty, or bad weather that completely shuts down your common carrier. Please see the Certificate of Insurance/policy for complete details. Terms, conditions, and exclusions apply.

No. Please contact the applicable trip insurance provider as soon as possible to make any changes and/or cancellations to your trip insurance.

In many instances, credit cards and conventional insurance such as auto, homeowners and health do not cover prepaid or added expenses associated with changes, interruptions and cancellations to your travel plans, and filing a claim could increase your premium cost. Most U.S. health insurance benefits are also reduced when traveling out of network, and may not cover the cost for overseas health care. In addition, medical transportation back home could be costly. Trip insurance can help protect your trip costs and can cover many gaps left by other plans. (Certain exclusions, conditions and limitations apply.)

When you book a flight operated by American, you'll see the seat map after you choose your flights.

Go to “My trips/check-in” from the homepage and enter your name and record. From there, you can choose seats. If seats are unavailable, check back later or you can change seats when you check in.

If you're unable to choose seats when you book, check back closer to departure or we'll assign you a seat when you check in.

American Airlines withholds some seats until the day of departure to allow our airport personnel to accommodate passenger needs. If you are unable to reserve a seat at the time of booking, you may get your seat when you check in for your flight.

Seats may become available closer to the day of departure; you can visit aa.com frequently to check the available seats for your flight.

American makes every effort to reseat passengers in the same seats. When this isn’t possible, we’ll attempt to seat you in a like seat. We appreciate your cooperation when special circumstances won’t allow us to reseat you in your original assigned seat.

Preferred seats are standard legroom seats that are more favorably located throughout the Main Cabin.

Preferred seats are complimentary for:

• AAdvantage Executive Platinum, Platinum and Gold members
• AirPass ticket customers when traveling on your AirPass
• oneworld^® Emerald, Sapphire and Ruby members and companions traveling on the same reservation
• Full-fare customers*
• Active U.S. military passengers traveling on a military fare
• AAdvantage AAnytime and Business Extra award ticket holders

Voluntary changes to paid seats are not refundable.

Learn more about refunds