SFO_FT

Does anyone know how same-day changes to the domestic "flexi fares" work? 1) Does the same booking class need to be available for me to confirm onto a different flight?
2) If it does, and the flight I want doesn't have that inventory, am I required to pay the fare difference?
3) If I don't want to pay the difference, can I just standby for the new flight?

Thanks

johnnyfive

In my experience it comes down to there being a seat available on the day at the time of change.

1. No. I have bought a $100 flexitime fare and changed it to a fare valued at $300-$400 on the day of travel.
2. No.
3. Not sure if they do standbys. I think it's up to you to look for and make the change online.

SFO_FT

Thanks -- very helpful! So when you went online (I assume the morning of your flight), the website offered up all flights that day (except ones that were completely sold out)?

dadig

Believe you can standby if you are Elite, Gold, Silver in that order?

ps107

I have also been put on indirect flights at no extra cost if it worked out quicker than the next available direct flight.

BZNZ

It's a bit hit and miss in my opinion. I generally book the last flexi flight of the day for my return trip, as due to the nature of my work I don't know exactly when I'll finish at my destination.

If I finish early and turn up to the airport, I find it about a 50/50 chance that there is availability on an earlier flight if I'm not flying out of WLG or CHC.

It's useful for me when it does work, as it saves me a few hours of waiting around at an airport, but the ability to change is not guaranteed.

SFO_FT

BZNZ: I assume the earlier flight would have cost more than the last flight of the day you initially booked?

NZbutterfly

Anyone ever tried buying the cheaper fare on the day of travel eg $169, knowing they wanted to fly at a different time on the more expensive $259? I've had a look and there looks like there's loads of availability on the $259 flight. It would save $90. Wonder if there's anything in the terms and conditions saying you can't book on the same day and then change, otherwise you'd always be undercutting their prices. Alternatively there's the regional gotta go fare which is $169 I think.

I'm going to try and book a future $149 flexi flight to lock in the price, knowing I can't make it but change on the day to later flight. There's 3 flights (beech, Q300 and ATR) after and I'm pretty sure I'll get on one as its midweek.

Bit of gambling but the odds are good.

Blackcloud

Interesting question, officially you can but it is a risk.
I have discussed this very issue with other flyers and everyone has had at least one example where later flights just were not available to change to, even on the the trunk routes.
I would never risk it on a regional route but if you are willing to do it then go ahead.

FullyIntoNewZealand

Last time I tried to do this I got burnt. I though NPL - AKL midweek I should be fine. I ended up with a 9 hr transit at Auckland :/ Very much a risk regionally.

SamB2356

I haven't done it to save money on the fare but once I had to stay a night in Auckland after missing my 2:30 flight back to Tauranga, as both the 5:30 and 7:30 were full. Definitely risky.

NZ_Flyer

I've done it a few times on trunk routes and bought a cheap mid-day or late evening flight and then changed it on the day to fly peak early evening. Its always worked out for me and saved a few hundred dollars. But as others have said it's quite risky, especially if there's not many flights or you don't have flexibility.

HighFlyingKiwi

I think the real risk for this is when you try to change regional flights. Less room for error so to speak, especially with less frequency than its main trunk siblings. I tried to use it when flying TRG - WSZ (back in the day). I had already prebooked my WLG-WSZ flight through Grabaseat which departed at 4pm or something. There were 3 flights out of Tauranga which arrived into WLG before the departure of the flight to WSZ. There was a flight departing TRG at 7.00am for $189, the other two were over $300. I decided to chance it and book a flexitime fare on the 7 am one, and try and change. However despite getting up at midnight to execute the change, all flights were full. I ended up with a 8 hour wait at WLG. Lesson learnt on that one..

temete23

I do this a lot from TRG to usually DUD or visa versa and have neither had a problem changing flights

HighFlyingKiwi

Interesting, Did you route through WLG? I find the TRG - WLG can be tricky. If you had booked at TRG-DUD via CHC, i assume they will let you change it to say a TRG-DUD via AKL routing?