I'm in the process (finally!) of booking our vacation for next year and planned on putting tickets on a courtesy hold with AA, and the website didn't give me that option! Had to just pay then, so I didn't. You can't do that there anymore??

I just put in some dates and the option for a 24 hour hold was there. Maybe you did not proceed far enough?

From the AA site.

Need more time to decide?
We offer convenient hold options to assist with your travel planning.

24 hour hold
When available on select American Airlines marketed and operated flights, you can hold your reservation up to 24 hours for free if you book seven or more days prior to departure.

Here’s how:
Choose your flights and select “hold” on the “Review and Pay” page
Refer to your confirmation email or visit “My Trips” to pay for your trip
Your reservation will automatically cancel after 24 hours if you don’t complete the purchase

That option wasn't there when I looked at it. But what USED to be available was like a 5 or 6 day hold. Were you looking at a purely US flight?

No, this was to SXM. When I booked last year there was only a 24 hour hold from what I recall. This was for a paid ticket.

Current "Extended Hold" policy.

Extended hold options
When available on select American-marketed and operated flights, you can pay to hold your reservation for an extended time period.

Here’s how:
After choosing your flights, select “hold” on the “Review and Pay” page
Choose an extended hold option
Payment is processed immediately and hold charges are non-refundable
Refer to your confirmation email or visit “My Trips” to pay for or cancel your trip
Purchase your trip with a credit card from the same country used to hold your trip or the fare may change

Seriously, the option to do a hold is not coming up for me at all. Weird.

We always have used that Hold feature when we get ready to book. Used it this last June/July when we booked our upcoming May trip.

I just did DAY to SXM again and it came up. It is on the "Review and Pay" page. Very strange.

I think the hold option is available if you are using Advantage miles. Thought I read it was no longer available when paying cash....at least for most/many flights.

We used it for cash flights for next May.

I did it earlier today (2 times) and it was a cash ticket and the option was there.

JD, I also just did an AA ticket purchase with the site giving me an option to hold my ticket for 24 hours on a credit purchase. Now, I don't know if it's because I was logged into their website or if it's because I have their credit card, but they are still allowing the hold feature for some. I included a screenshot below showing the hold option.

I was logged in but I do NOT have their credit card so it is not that. Your screenshot is what I saw, I just did not include the price in mine when I posted it. This is indeed a strange thing.

I know a few years ago I was getting different flight prices on Delta when using a different web browser. I had never experienced that before.

I don't know what's going on with it, but I was trying to pay cash. But, I put in a request for wheelchair assist, which I later got a confirmation email for, with a confirmation number, which flight would be cancelled if not paid for today.

"American Airlines got rid of its 24-hour hold feature for some customers as part of a two-week test, a spokesperson for the company told the Charlotte Observer.

The test will evaluate how customers use the 24-hour hold feature, but the company declined to comment on why the evaluation is taking place.

As stated on the American Airlines website, the feature grants potential customers the capability to hold seats on a flight for a period of 24 hours which allows them to decide if they actually want to book the ticket."

Perhaps the above offers some explanation.

Aren't you lucky being a chosen one.

Thanks.

CaribLee--Sounds like I was one of the guinea pigs?? And, as an update, the confirmation number which I had yesterday has now been cancelled--and it wasn't even 24 hours.

Just went ahead and bought my ticket and I was given NO option for even a 24 hour hold at all. Again. But I used to be able to do a courtesy several day hold.