Overview
- An internal memo orders gate teams to stop involuntarily denying boarding and to keep working an oversale until every affected customer accepts a voluntary offer.
- The directive requires agents to keep aircraft doors open while solicitations continue, call station leadership to the gate and allow leaders to approve compensation above previous limits.
- The airline told staff they may confirm a volunteer on the very next departure even when that flight shows no available seats and to use day-of-departure booking support and Find/Protect tools to secure rebookings.
- The memo mandates detailed O-text documentation of solicitation start time, each compensation increase, escalation steps and any oversale anomalies for oversight and tracking.
- The change follows reporting that American accounted for roughly 15,000 involuntary denied boardings in 2025, and the airline expects the move to reduce involuntary bumps while potentially lengthening gate waits as crews solicit volunteers.