Possible to cancel outbound but keep return & not pay change fee?
Apr 1, 2015, 12:56 pm
#1
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: DL PM, Bonvoy Gold
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Possible to cancel outbound but keep return & not pay change fee?
I need to add a segment and it's way to expensive to do it with cash, so I want to keep my return flight but buy a new outbound with miles--is this possible?
More details: I am booked MSP-SFO-MSP. I now want to go MSP-LAX-SFO-MSP. I wanted to cancel MSP-SFO and instead book with miles MSP-LAX-SFO and keep my purchased SFO-MSP, but agent said I need to buy a brand new one way ticket and pay change fee. Is this true? Any way around this?
More details: I am booked MSP-SFO-MSP. I now want to go MSP-LAX-SFO-MSP. I wanted to cancel MSP-SFO and instead book with miles MSP-LAX-SFO and keep my purchased SFO-MSP, but agent said I need to buy a brand new one way ticket and pay change fee. Is this true? Any way around this?
Apr 1, 2015, 1:03 pm
#3
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Yes. No.
If you cancel before departure the ticket will hold value less the change fee that can be used for another ticket. If you cancel just the outbound, the return will be repriced using one-way, current fares (essentially buying a new ticket at the current price).
If you skip the outbound, the return flight will cancel and leave you with the residual value less the change fee.
If I were you, I would look to buy a round-trip SFO-LAX to connect with your SFO arrival. Those can be had for $150/rt. Less than the change fee on your existing ticket.
If you cancel before departure the ticket will hold value less the change fee that can be used for another ticket. If you cancel just the outbound, the return will be repriced using one-way, current fares (essentially buying a new ticket at the current price).
If you skip the outbound, the return flight will cancel and leave you with the residual value less the change fee.
If I were you, I would look to buy a round-trip SFO-LAX to connect with your SFO arrival. Those can be had for $150/rt. Less than the change fee on your existing ticket.
Apr 1, 2015, 1:08 pm
#4
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A riskier idea, depending on how long the OP needs to spend at LAX, might be to try to SDC to MSP-LAX-SFO at T-24 and then perhaps try again to SDC to a later LAX-SFO the same day, but agents might refuse to do a SDC with more than four hours connecting time at LAX on a domestic itinerary.
Apr 1, 2015, 1:19 pm
#6
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Apr 1, 2015, 1:25 pm
#8
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Just remember to allow lots of connecting time since you will be traveling on two separate tickets, although since you have status with DL, agents might kindly rebook you for free if both tickets are DL, especially if the delay on the first flight is DL's fault.