American Airlines has removed the $75 close in booking fee for award tickets that are booked within 21 days of departure. This move follows United’s lead on removing the cash portion of the close in booking fee and charging miles instead.
What Does This Mean?
At first glance this is a good thing for most flyers. The pesky $75 fee for booking an award flight within 21 days of departure has been eliminated. There is always the possibility that American makes up for this by charging more miles within the time frame. It would be difficult to know if this is the case with their recent move to dynamic pricing.
Is This Good for Everyone?
Not everyone will be happy with the adjustment. AAdvantage Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum members were already exempt from the close in booking fee. This change could increase the competition for last minute award flights from other AAdvantage members. For anyone else with AAdvantage miles this is a welcome adjustment as you can plan last minute flights and pay less out of pocket. If you need to load up on AAdvantage Miles click here to find the easiest way to boost your balance!
What are your thoughts on this change? Let us know in the comments!
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
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