Northwest Trumps AA With Softer Ticketing Policy

Other airlines are bound to respond following Northwest Airlines' decision yesterday not only to match American Airlines' recent relaxation of nonrefundable ticket restrictions--providing travelers one year to rebook a canceled trip--but also to eliminate the need to cancel the trip prior to the original departure date. Northwest's customer-friendly policy reverses the more restrictive nonrefundable rules created last year by US Airways and copied by the rest of the Big Six U.S. carriers.

American this week initiated the recent trend to ease nonrefundable restrictions and allow travelers to reuse credit from ticketed flights they choose to change. Continental and Delta airlines quickly followed suit. Northwest trumped them all and now permits no-shows without penalty, aside from any associated change fees.

As of Friday morning, partners United and US Airways had not announced any changes to their nonrefundable ticket policies. American and Northwest partners Continental and Delta airlines also had not announced policy revisions matching Northwest's.