Originally Posted by
aircanada_loyal
Secondly, yes there are rules, but I simply do not see the logic if someone with no checked-in bags, is going to the same destination, arrives at the gate literally a few minutes prior to departure making it clear that a lot of seats will be empty, why AC would not have the slightest courtesy to put them on that flight.
Just how often should AC extend that courtesy? Should it do it next week when you (or someone you don't know) again buys the cheaper connecting flight, and again asks for a free upgrade (for that is what I think it is) to a more convenient non-stop flight? How about the week after, and the week after that week, etc?
That courtesy you ask for yourself will become an unofficial program and AC will lose twice:
a) Giving away a seat someone else might have paid $75 for;
b) Selling a lot more cheaper connecting flights to other passengers in the same situation as yours expecting the courtesy of a free upgrade to a non-stop flight at the airport.
And for what it's worth, on the occasions I have had a change fee waived in the past (less applicable nowadays), two things were always true:
a) I didn't ask for the freebie; I wanted the earlier flight and I was prepared to pay for it if asked;
b) Freebies were given when I made my request at the last minute when it was patently clear the seat wouldn't be sold, not when I asked for a change an hour in advance and the seat could still be sold.