American Airlines Threatens to Bar Passengers From Changing Nonrefundable Tickets

American Airlines has threatened to retaliate against new regulations in the proposed FAA Reauthorization Bill by barring passengers from changing nonrefundable tickets.

Doug Parker, American Airlines Chief Executive Officer, told reporters on Tuesday that your "nonrefundable ticket is of value to us. We knew that seat was going to be filled. It allowed us to do other things. We sold the rest of the airplane knowing that seat was going to be filled.”

The proposed bill would regulate seat size, bar passengers from making voice calls on airplanes and prevent airlines from bumping guests who had boarded planes that were already at capacity. What’s upsetting American Airlines are the the new limitations on the additional fees that it can charge. Specifically, changes to nonrefundable fares, which can run up to $200 and often anger passengers.

Parker claims that the proposal would not be beneficial for consumers despite support from consumer groups, Bloomberg reports.

The FAA’s reauthorization of the bill, which expires on Sept. 30, has yet to pass the committee. With both parties in agreement about a majority of the bill, specifics on fees were not included in the House version of the bill.

Featured Image by Benji Stawski