Photo by Epsos.de
In a perfect world we’d be able to change flight reservations as easily as our average Friday night plans. But the reality is the only airline that shares our vision of a perfect world is Southwest, which lets passengers make itinerary changes for free (plus a difference in price, if there is one).
Unless you’re flying Southwest or happen to be getting a break from the airlines because of your elite status, changing a plane ticket is going to cost you. Most airlines — including JetBlue, Hawaiian and Virgin America — charge for ticket changes on a sliding scale based on the type of fare you purchase and/or flight length. On Hawaiian, for example, it’s only a fee of $30 to change your flight to a neighboring island, but $200 for a ticket anywhere else in North America.
To help you figure out how much you’ll have to pay if you change your mind about a flight booked on any major U.S. airline, we’ve created a handy table — but first a few notes:
- When there is a price range given for a fee change, it is because the cost varies based on a number of factors including destination, flight distance and type of fare purchased.
- Keep in mind that in addition to the fee, you’ll usually have to pay any difference in fare if the new flight you want to get on is more expensive than your original reservation.
- If the new ticket price happens to be less than what you originally paid, don’t expect to get that money back unless you’re flying Frontier, in which case you can get a travel credit.
- If you’re looking to shave off some costs, make the changes yourself online. Enlisting the help of a customer service agent, whether at the airport or over the phone, will often incur an extra fee.
- Some airlines will go easier on you for making a change more than 60 days prior to departure. Alaska Airlines doesn’t charge for changes within that early timeframe, and JetBlue charges less than its usual fee.
- If you immediately regret something about a plane ticket you just bought, you can almost always change or cancel without a fee in the 24 hours from time of purchase (American will hold a reservation for 24 hours, but will not let you change/cancel once a flight has been paid for).
The following table details the cost for reservation changes on every major U.S. airline within 60 days of the departure date for revenue tickets purchased online (award tickets excluded). Same-day changes are when you want to swap your flight for one with the same route, just at a different time within a 24-hour window. The prices noted are for confirmed seat changes — not standby — unless noted).
For more information on each airline’s policy, click the links below, and check out or guide to checked bag fees here.
Alaska – Allegiant – American – Delta – Frontier – Hawaiian – JetBlue – Southwest – Spirit – United (same-day) – Virgin America