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Board Early on American … for a Fee

According to this article in the Seattle Times, American Airlines has unveiled a new way to charge customers money. Let me rephrase that. American Airlines has unveiled the “Your Choice” program, which offers its passengers “Boarding and Flexibility.”

For between $9 and $19 each way, passengers can get a spot in Group 1 of general boarding. The Seattle Times speculates (and I agree) that the “main advantage presumably is first crack at overhead bin space, which has grown tighter as more people carry on bags to avoid checked bag fees.”

The program also includes a $75 discount on flight-change fees and the option to fly standby on an earlier flight the day of your departure. The latter can now be considered a perk since American eliminated the standby option for non-premium customers a while back.

What do you think? Would you shell out for earlier boarding and more flight-change flexibility? Or do you see this as the sort of nickel and diming you don’t want to support with your nickels and dimes?

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