American Airlines charges high fees for changing tickets, and savvy passengers try to punish them by buying another ticket

American Airlines charges high fees for changing tickets, and savvy passengers try to punish them by buying new tickets. US airlines charge high fees for changing tickets, and many consumers give up their return trip, and try to punish them again...

American Airlines charges high fees for changing tickets, and savvy passengers try to punish them by buying new tickets. U.S. airlines have increased their fees for ticket changes. Many consumers have given up on their return journeys, purchased new one-way tickets, and completed the procedures online, making it impossible for airlines to sell empty seats. This punitive approach is on the rise. American Airlines (AA), United Airlines (UA) and many domestic airlines in the United States have continued to increase their fees for changing flight schedules in recent years, with prices ranging from US$150 to US$200, sometimes exceeding the cost of round-trip or one-way cheap tickets purchased online. Consumers have discovered that airlines are raising fees for changing tickets to increase profits, and they have responded in various ways. Take the air tickets sold by the travel website Travelocity as an example. The round-trip ticket on American Airlines from Austin, Texas to Baltimore, Maryland, has a nominal price of US$332. The charge for changing the return time exceeds the one-way fare. It may be more cost-effective for consumers to purchase another one-way ticket than to change it. The Washington Post pointed out that consumers have noticed this trend, and many passengers simply check in online instead of allowing airlines to temporarily sell empty seats as a penalty. Airlines pursue the highest profits and the fewest empty seats and use statistics to develop ticketing programs. Consumers buying air tickets are like investing in stocks. If they are not smart, they will be taken advantage of. Airlines hire experts to analyze consumer behavior patterns and play a cat-and-mouse game of wits. According to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, air ticket changes on domestic routes in the U.S. brought in $2.5 billion in revenue in 2012. Travel technology expert Hari Subramanian pointed out that there are differences between business and general passengers, airlines, routes and ticket purchase times. The fares for refundable or changeable times are sometimes 2 to 3 times higher than restricted air tickets. Some companies such as JetBlue have room for flexibility, and consumers have to choose wisely.