A friend and I made an avios booking online on a CX flight (partner airline). After studying the booking realised the flight we picked is 2 hours longer than the other ones on that day. Further investigation uncovered that it was a connection flight but interestingly online booking process showed it as direct (and still does).

So I call up to get it changed to one of the other ones. Then I find out that they can't talk to me about the booking as I am a passenger on the booking rather than the person that actually booked.

So I proceed to explain that if I log in as myself into executive club I can make changes to it myself (albeit with a 50 pound service charge). It simply asks me to click a checkbox to confirm I have all passengers permission to make the change. I make the point of "how does the website know if I have permission of all travellers or not".

Long story short, she wouldn't change the booking "to data protection act" and got quite worked up explaining that all calls are recorded and then somehow mis-interpreting what I was saying about making the change online myself and telling me off for having my mate's exec account password - which wasn't the case! Quite funny!

I understand they have policies but find it a little strange that there is a variance in the interpretation of UK laws? If they don't want passengers making changes to the booking why allow it through the exec club website? Surely that's inconsistent with the rules they follow when you call up?!