NW.BTR.Than.The.Rest

I previously purchased a RT Business Basic fare JFK-MAD, non-refundable, $400 change fee, it is I class. Now I want to extend my stay in Madrid and IBERIA.COM shows a RT fare $600 less than original fare in Business Basic and it is I class and available for my dates of travel.

I assumed with the change that at least part of the change fee would be absorbed by the now lower fare and I would have something <$400 out of pocket for the change; however, neither IBERIA.COM nor Iberia's phone center handles it that way.

In fact, while on the phone, I used pre-book (book and put on hold) a reservation for the cheaper fare, and I asked how can I pay for this cheaper fare with the current ticket and the agent said it was not possible.

Is this correct and the way Iberia handles ticket changes? NOTE, I AM NOT EXPECTING A REFUND of any fare difference like in the good ole days, but I do think the new lower fare + change fee should be covered by the current ticket I am holding which does exceed the new lower fare + change fee.

orbitmic

What you are asking is never the way changes work. If you want to change a ticket, you have to pay the change fee and pay the difference in fare if the new fare is more than what you booked. If it is less, this is never credited to you and you just pay the change fee. This is universal with every single airline.

If your ticket is refundable (which a ticket in I probably is not) you can ask for your ticket to be refunded (and pay whatever fees apply) and then book any new ticket you want. However, if you do not plan to cancel your ticket, your making a new reservation on the flights you want simply serves to lower availability and could lead to the fare of your new itinerary risking to go up!!

NW.BTR.Than.The.Rest

Well, I don't think it is universal, perhaps in Europe based on your alliances you list, AF/KL/BA and including IC hotels; however, I don't care if it lowers availability because I do not plan to change the ticket now.

bryand83

Can you cancel the ticket and get everything but the $400 back and then book the new ticket and end up with a net credit of $200? I've done this before with BA. Not the same airline but still part of IAG.

NW.BTR.Than.The.Rest

At this point, I am hoping for a schedule change and perhaps then I can do it.

orbitmic

I do travel extensively on major US (AA and DL, previously NW which I agree with you was a great airline BTW and CO, not so much UA so maybe UA does it differently but I'll admit I would be surprised), Asian, and Oceanian airlines too and have sadly never had a reduction in fares used to offset the change fee.

By contrast, I could imagine some US airlines waiving the change fee entirely for some of their top elites (they do treat you much better than European airlines treat us by all means ) but indeed European airlines never tend to do that unless there is an exceptional and overwhelming reason.

Another thing many US airlines will do and European ones never do is that if fare decreases within x days of your purchasing a ticket, a number of US airlines have historically be willing to payback the difference. If you were to ask something like that to any European airline, they would laugh outloud.

orbitmic

With a schedule change, IB/BA will usually let you switch to another flight on the same day, or conceivably a day before or after, but unfortunately typically not a week away. They will not let you cancel the ticket for free unless it is a "significant" schedule change (there is always a bit of uncertainty on how "significant" will be interpreted but as a rule of thumb I would say about the time difference that would have triggered EC261 compensation if the schedule change had occurred within 2 weeks of the flight).

NW.BTR.Than.The.Rest

I do have plenty of time, this travel is still a few months away. I fell in love with Iberia on a recent return flight from MAD-ORD and will use them every chance I get. Their A330 biz seat is so comfortable. I put the miles toward my Aadvantage account, but until AA gets their fleet up to snuff, I don't plan to fly on AA equipment.

Thanks again.

orbitmic

IB new J is great, and the soft product is much better than AA. AA new 77W are great too and being partly London based I have used them a few times with great pleasure, however, the old J is indeed really bad.