Small claims court is a pain in the neck, and the two parties always have the option to settle out of court. Most of the time the defendant simply does not show and the plaintiff wins a default judgment.

US Airways has let me change tickets without a $150 change fee in the past, and without me having to threaten to sue them. They and I simply negotiated in good faith and we reached an agreement of mutual benefit to both of us.

(Specifically, me being flaky and showing up late to the airport for a flight 3 times in a row, spread across 2 days, and US Airways' friendly staff rebooking me each time, as they were used to seeing my face at DCA two times a week. I ended up needing to completely change my travel plans halfway into a circle trip and ended up buying a walkup Y fare on them, and felt no pangs about doing so after their excellent treatment of me a few days earlier.)