Major US airlines have permanently axed £149 fee to change flights

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Several major US airlines have permanently axed the expensive fees they normally charge for changing flight details.

Known as "change fees", the charges of up to $200 (£149) are applied when a passenger wants to make changes to a non-refundable fare.

United Airlines led the way by announcing the end of the fees on 30 August, with the changes applying to "all standard Economy and Premium cabin tickets for travel within the US, effective immediately".

It will also apply to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, with customers free to change their flights for as many times as they want.

Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, said: "Change is inevitable these days – but it's how we respond to it that matters most. When we hear from customers about where we can improve, getting rid of this fee is often the top request.

"Following previous tough times, airlines made difficult decisions to survive, sometimes at the expense of customer service. United Airlines won't be following that same playbook as we come out of this crisis. Instead, we're taking a completely different approach – and looking at new ways to serve our customers better."

The airline is also allowing customers to fly on standby on the same day for free from 1 January 2021, which means they can catch an earlier flight if there's space.

American Airlines and Delta Air Lines followed suit on 31 August.

American Airlines' policy changes are even more extensive – the airline said it "will eliminate all change fees for First Class, Business Class, Premium Economy and Main Cabin [except Basic Economy] tickets for all domestic and short-haul international flying".

This applies to all US states, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Its customers will also be able to fly on standby for free, but from 1 October 2020.

Delta said change fees will be axed for domestic US routes, as well as those to Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands. It will apply to Delta’s First Class, Delta Premium Select, Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin tickets – Basic Economy tickets remain the exception.

Most airlines have introduced greater flexibility in terms of flight changes in light of coronavirus but traffic remains down.

British Airways, for example, said it was operating at less than 20 per cent of its normal schedule.