In a move that will increase customer convenience, flexibility, security and speed when booking on www.aa.com, American Airlines has announced it has become the first major US airline to accept PayPal as a form of payment internationally.

The new payment option, which officially launched on 28 May, will see American join Monarch and Jet2.com as the only airlines currently accepting PayPal for customers booking flights in the UK.

PayPal, which is the most popular alternative form of payment in the UK, enables customers to pay for transactions using a credit or debit card, bank account, or PayPal account balance. Purchases are quick and easy, since customers do not have to enter any financial and billing information.

A major benefit of PayPal acceptance for UK residents is that it will enable them to pay using a wider selection of debit cards than is currently possible directly through aa.com. Since debits cards are the preferred payment option in the UK, the move is expected to be widely welcomed by American’s customers.

Using the new PayPal option is free and easy - even for those not yet signed up with a PayPal account. When purchasing travel on aa.com, customers simply select the PayPal option where they’ll be temporarily directed to PayPal’s secure website to log into their account and confirm the transaction, or to enroll for free if they don’t already hold an account. Customers will then be returned to aa.com to complete their purchase.

Maria Sebastian, Vice President Sales & Marketing EMEA, commented: “We are delighted to be the first major US airline leading the way in making PayPal available as a form of payment to our UK customers. American is committed to offering customers more choices and convenience when purchasing travel on aa.com and PayPal certainly fills that bill since it gives customers several options in funding their online purchase.”