Buyers beware! The merger of American Airlines and U.S. Airways is not going as smoothly as we were told it would—and it is costing consumers already.
Travel Weekly reports that when the two airlines codeshare flights, the exact same flight, when booked on American Airlines' website, AA.com, can cost more than twice what it costs on U.S. Airways' site, USAirways.com.
American said that customers "may find discrepancies between pricing a codeshare itinerary versus what can be booked directly with the operating carrier."
That's an understatement! What it meant to say is: You might get ripped off.
Travel Weekly related an example from one travel agency in Boston that was quoted $232 by American but $99 from U.S. Airways. Again, it was the same flight—buying either would have secured the same seat.
AA says the problem should go away when the two airlines "adopt common technology platforms." It has had nearly two years to anticipate this problem, but for now, it's passing the headache to your wallet.
There's no word yet when this logistical disaster will be fixed, so until then, our strongest advice is to check the prices on both website, or use an aggregator that will do it for you. For now, do not rely on AA.com alone for your airfare quotes.
