American to add choices to Web site Customers will see prices and times on grid for flights

Soon, travelers booking tickets on American Airline Inc.'s Web site will no longer have to choose either searching for flights based on price alone or searching for flights by departure time.

The Fort Worth-based carrier on Monday launched an online preview of a new display grid that shows customers all of the different airfares offered for a particular American route on a selected day.

The new feature, which is reminiscent of the display used by Dallas-based Southwest Airlines Co., allows customers to choose their flights based on what's most important to them, whether that's the lowest fare or the most accommodating travel times.

"In reality, most people want both," said Dan Garton, American's executive vice president.

The new booking grid, which will become functional this summer, is the latest in a string of upgrades American has been making to aa.com.

Earlier this year, the airline added a Spanish-language Web site and a new tool for booking award tickets.

The recent investments underscore the growing importance of American's Web site, which is the airline's largest distribution method and was visited by 70 percent of its customers during the last year.

"It is a vital marketing tool for us," Mr. Garton said, adding that revenue booked through the site has grown fourfold since 2002.

Under the new booking feature, customers will be able to see the different types of fares, which have descriptive names such as Economy Super Saver (lowest price, nonrefundable) and First Flexible (first class, fully refundable) rather than the corresponding fare code letters that make sense only to travel industry folks and the most fervent frequent fliers.

The grid also shows customers the trade-offs they have to make to get the schedule or price they want. For example, if a flight in the wee hours of the morning doesn't tempt, a traveler can see how much more it would cost to fly a few hours later.

The new feature also allows customers to choose each travel leg, so they could book based on price for their outgoing flight and book based on schedule for the return.

Henry Harteveldt, a travel research analyst for Forrester Research, said the new tool helps customers make better-informed decisions.

"They can see all their options instead of just the lowest price," Mr. Harteveldt said.

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