American Airlines, breaking ranks with the biggest US carriers, eased its rules to let frequent fliers book one-way flights for half the award miles for a round trip.
The change is part of an overhaul of American’s Web site being rolled out as early as yesterday. Like most other airlines, American previously required members of its AAdvantage program to use the same amount of award miles for either a round-trip or one-way ticket.
AMR Corp’s American, the world’s second-biggest carrier, is betting the shift will boost the number of miles earned and redeemed for travel as it struggles with a traffic slump because of the recession. AAdvantage has about 62 million members.
“It’s really providing a lot more options and flexibility,” Rob Friedman, president of AAdvantage Marketing Programs, said in an interview. “That’s what customers truly value when they are looking to redeem miles for travel.”
American declined to say how many passengers redeem award miles for one-way trips. Industrywide, more than 95 percent of redemptions are for round-trip flights, said Jay Sorensen, president of consulting firm IdeaWorks in Shorewood, Wisconsin.
Only Alaska Air Group Inc, parent of Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, now allows fliers to book one-way domestic flights for half the award miles needed for a round trip.
Seattle-based Alaska issued 936,000 round-trip rewards and 499,000 more for one-way travel last year, Sorensen said.
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