American does not guarantee that your flight will depart or arrive on time, and can change the aircraft, carrier, or route without telling you in advance if it deems it necessary.
This analysis describes what American Airlines's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
Because scheduled times are not part of the contract, passengers generally cannot claim compensation solely based on a flight being late unless DOT tarmac delay rules or other specific regulatory protections apply.
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.
View change record →The removal of this provision eliminates the explicit disclaimer that schedule times are not guaranteed and that American can substitute aircraft without notice.
View full change record →Adds explicit right to substitute carriers and alter routes without notice, significantly limiting passenger recourse for operational changes beyond the previous force majeure provision.
View full change record →Passengers who miss connections or incur additional costs due to schedule changes or delays may have limited contractual recourse against American for those losses, though DOT tarmac delay regulations and refund rules for significant schedule changes do provide specific protections independent of this clause.
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"American will endeavor to carry passengers and baggage with reasonable dispatch, but times shown in timetables or elsewhere are not guaranteed and form no part of this contract. American may, without notice, substitute alternate carriers or aircraft, and may alter or omit stopping places shown on the ticket in case of necessity.Excerpt from American Airlines's Terms of Use
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: DOT regulations require airlines to offer refunds for significant schedule changes and cancellations, and mandate minimum tarmac delay protections (three-hour domestic, four-hour international limits before deplaning).
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Because scheduled times are not part of the contract, passengers generally cannot claim compensation solely based on a flight being late unless DOT tarmac delay rules or other specific regulatory protections apply.
Passengers who miss connections or incur additional costs due to schedule changes or delays may have limited contractual recourse against American for those losses, though DOT tarmac delay regulations and refund rules for significant schedule changes do provide specific protections independent of this clause.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 287 platforms. See the full comparison.
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