Mykle

Yes, there is a benefit (assuming the new schedule works for you). Until the schedule change is accepted, the reservation and ticket are not fully updated. Anytime there are schedule change segments in a reservation, customers cannot manage their itinerary online and are unable to do OLCI.

Until the Schedule Change is accepted, the reservation shows too many segments. It shows the original one and the new one, with two different statuses (plus any other valid segments), such as shown below on this Phoenix-Charlotte round trip example:
1. US1234Y10APR PHXCLT WK1 (WK=was confirmed...no longer valid)
2. US2345Y10APR PHXCLT SC1 (SC=Schedule Changed...new segment)
3. US3456Y12APR CLTPHX HK1 (HK=is confirmed)

Clicking the Accept button cleans up the reservation so it shows everything confirmed, like this:
1. US2345Y10APR PHXCLT HK1 (HK=is confirmed)
2. US3456Y12APR CLTPHX HK1 (HK=is confirmed)

It also re-syncs the ticket to the new itinerary, thus allowing OLCI. So, if you want to use OLCI, you need to either click the button or talk to someone. If the itinerary is good for me, I click the button. I often times wait a day or two to do so, to make sure I don't need changes, but I'd much rather click the button than call in (if I like the new flights).

IzzyL

My flight was changed by about 10 minutes. When I called to get on an earlier flight, I was told that I couldn't because it was a different fare class! Even though I didn't accept the changes, the rep marked it as if I did.
I really want to he ton the earlier flight. Is it worthwhile calling back?

ibrandsguest

Yes, I would call back, and I would insist that the rep went against what I had said about not accepting the changes, if that's what happened.

PHL

It's not really a pass. Your passport basically becomes 'flagged' as Global Entry eligible because that's what you scan at the Kiosk when arriving back into the states. Give yourself about a month to get it. You first have to apply online by providing a lot of info about you. If you are accepted, they will then have you schedule an appointment to go to an airport CBP office to be interviewed and give your fingerprints.

An additional benefit to being in Global Entry is that you are also able to use the TSA Pre-Check program at airports that have it.

jerseyfinn

True, but the OP's worry is lacking sufficient connection time to make the newly scheduled connection ( offered by US ). In this specific instance, this change does not necessarily negatively impact the OP given what their main concern is: to make a flight PHL-RIC the afternoon of arrival. The real dynamic in play here is that one can never count on any international-arriving flight to be on-time every single day & the feasibility of making that early connection.

The OP's real dilemma is twofold. Arrive late and miss the (US rescheduled) RIC connection -- in which case US is on the hook to either connect them on a later flight, or . . . to arrive slighly late, but with enough time to make the rescheduled RIC flight, but perhaps without bags ( which should then be door-delivered by US at who knows what time).

Either outcome has positives/negatives. If a checked bag making it home at the same time with the OP is not a game breaker & simply an inconvenience, then the better move might be to accept the schedule change & hope that the travel gods are kind this day. Locking into the later flight could mean a missed opportunity ( granted by US making the change ) to get home sooner if the headwinds are weak, the weather gods kind & the flight arrives on-time or even a bit early.

In truth, I don't think there exists a "right" answer to the OP's dilemma of whether to aqccept changes as much as it comes down to personal preference & personal travel disposition and what one is comfortable with.

Have a good flight in any case.

Barry

ibrandsguest

I have a round trip on US in a few weeks. My return flight time changed, and I see a message from US when I review my reservations online: "Accept these changes online or call US."

I'm fine with the new time for my return flight, but I'd like to change the outbound one, as I don't need to arrive as early as I thought.

So if I call US, will I have the option for changing any flights on the itinerary at no charge, or just the return flight that changed?

Thanks.

Biggie Fries

This is another one of those great questions where I will be interested to learn how it turns out for you.

What I would try if the following. Call and say that you got the announcement and you would prefer to re-book times. Play it straight and don't comment on the fact that your new itinerary is not booked to compensate for their change in flight times. Assuming whoever you are talking with is doing two million things and isn't paying that close attention to the logic here -- they may just be inputting and canceling -- I would say you have a fair shot of getting it done.

If they call you on it -- or if they called me on it -- I wouldn't feel too comfortable getting into a legalistic argument about the options. I would just say something like, "Gosh, you're right -- I was barely paying attention to which flights had changed and take it from there."

In other words: I recommend just getting on with doing an attempted change, and not trying to get US to concede your right first.

ibrandsguest

Update: I got shot down.

I had a round-trip, and the return segment had a flight time change. Even though I got an email from US saying "accept these changes online or call us", only the trip whose time changed could be accepted or rejected. I wasn't able to change the outbound, unchanged segment without paying a change fee plus a fare difference.

bevoinva

Did you have the option to cancel the whole itinerary? I realize that may not be feasible depending on the current prices for your tickets though.

ibrandsguest

No. The ticket agent just said, "Well, since you've had your outbound ticket for more than 24 hours, changing it will cost $150 plus the fare difference."

RMINIONE

I purchased 4 RT tickets months ago for summer travel It was a short Friday-Sunday DCA-FLL trip for Me and my wife, plus my parents. Just checked and got the itinerary changed/accept changes button. Since booking the trip my parents are thinking of spending a couple more days down in FLL but of course they don't want to pay the $150 change fee. I can I use this change of itinerary to change the dates for 2 out of the 4 tickets. I doubt it very much but thought I'd ask here first .

GNRMatt

Yes and no. You can use a schedule change to cancel the tickets and get a full refund. This way, you would avoid the $150 change fee. I'm not sure though if you need to do all of the tickets for this or not. You can ask them to split your reservation so that you can do it for some tickets and not others, but I'm not sure if they can split the reservation when it is in this "limbo" status.

vince730

Flying PHL-MCO-PHL and got notification of a schedule change. The MCO-PHL flight now arrives 30 minutes later which really is no good for me. I already found a one-way, very cheap ticket on United (my preferred airline) at a better time and would be ready to purchase it. If I call up US Air I should be able to get a refund on the return leg without affecting the outbound, yes? (Especially considering the outbound has no changes, theres no reason why they should even allow me to change that for free).

Maz67

I used one of my US Air credit card $99 companion passes to book a trip in early September for my wife and I .

Got the change of itinerary email and have yet to respond. We are now considering bringing our daughter on the trip. In hindsight I would have booked her at the same time and her ticket would have been one of the $99 companion fares.

So.... Can I just add her by paying another $99 or would I have to use the change of itinerary excuse to cancel the 2 existing seats and then just rebook for 3 people? I have a couple of extra of these $99 passes so I don't even need the other back. The fares for the flight haven't changed. Been successfully using these passess for years but never have been in this situation. Thanks.

ibrandsguest

I would think that it would depend on how significant the change was.

My sense of the US reps' attitude towards requests to make changes to reservations if there are schedule changes is "you can accept it, or you can decide not to accept it, but that's it"--I haven't had much success in getting anything out of these situations.