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American Airlines removed 12 sentences from its Terms of Use that previously disclosed how cookies and personal data are collected on its website. The removed language explained what cookies do, what data is collected for performance and functional purposes, and referenced the privacy policy. The updated terms no longer include these specific disclosures about cookie use and data collection methods.
The updated Terms of Use no longer include explicit statements about how American Airlines uses performance cookies to analyze site usage and track popular pages, or how functional cookies remember your preferences like language and region settings. Previously, the terms disclosed that cookies are essential to site operation and cannot be rejected. The removal of these disclosures means users visiting the American Airlines website will not find this granular explanation of cookie purposes in the terms themselves, though cookie collection may continue through other disclosure mechanisms such as a separate privacy policy or cookie banner.
The updated terms establish a reduced disclosure posture regarding cookie and data collection methods on the American Airlines website. Previously, the terms explicitly stated that certain cookies are essential and cannot be rejected, explained how performance cookies track site usage, and described how functional cookies store user preferences. The removal of these disclosures narrows the transparency available to users in the public-facing terms, which may create compliance questions under CCPA, GDPR, and FTC standards that require clear, accessible disclosure of data collection practices.
→ The updated terms will no longer provide granular disclosure of how cookies are used on the American Airlines website.
→ Users will need to consult the separate privacy policy or cookie consent interface to find information about performance and functional cookies previously stated in the terms.
Removed 12 sentences explaining the purpose and types of cookies (essential, performance, functional) previously used on the website.
Removed language stating that personal data may be collected by American Airlines and partners in accordance with the privacy policy.
This change record describes what was added, removed, or modified in the document. Analysis reflects what the updated agreement states or permits. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Applicability may vary by jurisdiction. Methodology
Users can no longer find in the terms a specific explanation of what performance cookies do on the American Airlines website.
Users can no longer find in the terms a specific explanation of how the site uses functional cookies for preference storage.
The terms no longer explain which cookies are mandatory for site operation.
American Airlines removed 12 sentences from its Terms of Use that previously explained cookie and personal data collection practices. These disclosures covered performance cookies, functional cookies, essential cookies, and references to the privacy policy. The removal creates potential alignment questions under CCPA and other consumer privacy frameworks, which generally require that companies disclose data collection practices in accessible terms. Whether the removal violates disclosure obligations depends on whether equivalent information is available elsewhere (e.g., in a separate privacy policy or cookie consent interface) and whether regulators view removal from the public-facing terms document as a material change in transparency posture. The change does not appear to create new data collection authority; it removes the terms-level explanation of existing practices.
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Analyst $49/moConductAtlas provides verified policy intelligence sourced directly from platform documents. All analysis is intended to support, not replace, legal and compliance review. Record CA-C-002736.
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