Deseret News (Salt Lake City) - The new rules

The changes in airline policies on nonrefundable tickets can be confusing. Here’s a primer.

— American: Passengers have to cancel reservation before flight departs. Ticket is good for a year from date of issue. Change fee: $100 on domestic tickets, $25 in some markets. Up to $200 on international tickets.

— Continental: Passengers must cancel reservation before flight departs. Ticket is good for a year from date of issue. Policy doesn’t apply to some special fares, like weekend deals booked online. Change fee: $100 on domestic tickets, up to $200 on international tickets.

— Delta: Passengers don’t have to cancel reservation before flight departs. Ticket good for a year from date of issue. Policy applies only to all tickets booked through Delta, including its Web site. Change fee: $100 on domestic tickets, except Song flights, which are $25. Up to $200 on international tickets.

— Northwest: Passengers don’t need to cancel reservation before flight departs. Ticket is good for a year from the date of the original flight departure. Policy doesn’t apply to special, Internet- only weekend fares. Change fee: $100 on domestic tickets, $200 on international tickets.

— JetBlue: Passengers need to call to cancel reservation before flight departs. Ticket will hold its value for a year from the date of the flight departure. Policy applies to all tickets. Change fee: $25 for all flights; if the fare difference is more than $100, JetBlue waives the fee.

— Southwest: Passengers don’t have to call before flight departs to cancel reservation. Tickets retain value for up to a year from date of issue. Change fee: None.

— Airtran: Passengers must cancel up to one hour before departure. Tickets retain value for up to a year from date of issue. Change fee: $50.

— US Airways: Passengers still have to call to cancel flight and rebook new travel by midnight of the original departure date. If you don’t call, ticket is worthless. Change fee: $100 for domestic, up to $200 for international.

— United: Passengers must call to cancel reservation before flight departs. Ticket will hold its value for a year from date of issue. Policy only applies to domestic tickets. Change fee: $100 on domestic, $150 on international tickets.