DALLAS — American Airlines is ending its policy of letting customers hold a trip reservation without paying for 24 hours.

Instead, customers who buy a ticket will have 24 hours to cancel without charge, which is already the policy at other U.S. airlines.

The switch will start Friday for tickets bought from an American Airlines call centre and sometime later for tickets bought on the airline’s website, said spokesman Joshua Freed. He said the change was designed to reduce confusion among customers.

Federal rules require airlines to let customers hold a reservation at the quoted fare for 24 hours without paying or let them cancel within 24 hours without penalty.

American, the world’s largest airline, is owned by American Airlines Group Inc. and based in Fort Worth, Texas.