American Airlines is cutting a bit of slack for passengers who either have poor time management or a hard time with traffic getting to the airport. They may miss their flight, but they can now be rebooked on the next flight out without charge.
The new procedure applies to passengers who check in after the cut-off time, usually 45 minutes for domestic flights, but within 15 minutes of departure time. There are a few details to keep in mind. For one, 'next flight out' means the next one with an open seat; agents can't overbook the next flight. Also, agents may shake the route up a little: connections may be in a different city, and the destination may be a different 'co-terminal' airport, such as Chicago's Ohare and Midway or New York's JFK/LGA/EWR.
Passengers who miss even that narrow window for slack can still be booked on a later flight, but through American's regular standby policy, which is not free. For those who arrive at the airport early, American last year dropped its fee for hopping on an earlier flight.
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