American Lets Frequent Fliers Claim One-Way Trips

American Airlines, hoping to boost travel demand, said Monday it was now allowing members of its frequent-flier program to redeem one-way flights for half the miles of a round-trip award.

In the past, members of AAdvantage who only wanted to fly one-way had to use the full amount of miles that a round-trip would require.

American also said consumers can now combine different types of awards on a single itinerary. The airline said in a statement that the overhaul of its frequent flier program gives customers more options.

The US airline industry has been hard hit by the economic recession that has hurt travel demand. Earlier this month, American Airlines said its system traffic fell 4.7 percent during the month of April.

A spokesman for United Airlines said his company was studying American's frequent-flier plan changes.

AMR shares closed unchanged on Monday at USD$5.55 on the New York Stock Exchange.