American Airlines completely revamped its flight change policy in recent years, eliminating change fees on most domestic and all international flights (except basic economy tickets).

For those wondering how to change an American Airlines flight, here’s what you need to know to make it a smooth process.

American Airlines flight change policy

Like many airlines, American Airlines gave travelers more flexibility during the COVID-19 pandemic, and as restrictions have started to loosen, it has adjusted its change and cancellation policies.

Currently, the American Airlines flight change policy is as follows:

No change fees for all domestic, short-haul international and select long-haul international flights as long as you are not flying basic economy.

Basic economy fares purchased are nonrefundable and non-changeable.

This includes flying standby if you want to fly an earlier flight to the same destination on the same day for all domestic flights.

How much does it cost to change an American Airlines flight?

The great news for travelers is that it won't cost anything to change an American Airlines flight in most scenarios. Keep in mind that you will have to pay any increase in the fare for your new ticket.

You can use the value of your ticket toward the new fare and you can even change the ticket's origin and/or destination. If the new fare is lower than your purchased fare, you'll be able to use the difference in value toward a future flight.

If you purchased travel insurance, you might be able to get reimbursed for the cost of a new flight if you must make a change due to a covered reason.

American's change fee elimination doesn't apply to international flights that originate outside of North and South America. The only exception to this is basic economy flights that originate in Asia; these are non-changeable.

How to change my flight on American Airlines

For flights booked with cash

Changing your eligible American Airlines flight that you paid for with cash is fairly straightforward. You can access your purchased flight either by logging into your American AAdvantage account or by inputting your name and six-digit record locator at aa.com.

Once you select the flight that you'd like to change, navigate to Change Trip and follow the prompts to select a new flight. You can also choose to cancel your American Airlines flight.

For flights booked with points

Changing an American Airlines award flight follows a slightly different process. In most cases, you can't change an award flight online; instead, you'll need to contact the reservations department.