US Airways, American Airlines Set Deadline For Merging Booking Systems

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Even though regulators approved the merger of American Airlines and US Airways in late 2013, the two carriers have continued to operate separate websites with separate systems for booking travel. That will soon begin to change, with the merged mega-airline announcing an October deadline for operating as a single carrier.

“On Oct. 17, we are going to be one airline for our customers,” announced Maya Leibman, American’s chief information officer, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. “There’s nothing for customers to do; they don’t need to call reservations.”

The process will actually begin on July 18, when American’s reservation system will begin handling all reservations for travel scheduled for Oct. 17 or later.

The Inquirer reports that passengers who already have reservations for travel after Oct. 17 will receive an e-mail giving them a heads-up about their rebranded flight.

When the full switch flips in October, US Airways’ website will redirect to AA.com. By then, the airline hopes to have all of US Airways’ gates and related signage updated to American’s designs.

What won’t be completely changed by that point is the paint job on US Airways’ jets. The airline says they won’t finished redoing the entire fleet until some point in 2016.

The good news for frequent US Air flyers is that the merger won’t impact the current departure times and flight schedules.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist