US Airways this weekend finally caved and matched the other Big Six carriers in easing restrictions on nonrefundable rules that it had imposed a year ago. The rule change permits travelers booked on a nonrefundable fare to apply the credit of that fare to a future flight, as long as they cancel their original reservation on or before the scheduled date of departure. Travelers then will have a year to reuse the credit. Ticket change fees still apply.
US Airways last year led the industry in establishing "use it or lose it" policies on nonrefundable fares in an effort to push business travelers back into higher-fare buckets
(BTN, Sept. 9, 2002). That strategy failed, according to industry observers, and American Airlines last month became the first to reverse the more restrictive policies
(BTN, Aug. 25). All of the Big Six now have matched American, though details of each policy vary slightly.