In a similar situation as the OP, but I have no status on Delta: I'd like to change the outbound segments of a Low Business award US to Europe on KL (12/2013), but leave intact the inbound segments on AF (4/2014)-- for which availability is now virtually impossible to find.
MSPeconomist's comment is very nerve-racking, suggesting that making an outbound change could end up canceling the inbound if the agent is not careful-- and once canceled, that award space is often impossible to reclaim.
So could some of you more experienced SkyMilers out there confirm:
1) can award tickets be partially changed without risk of losing segments, or as Delta's Fee chart implies, do changes always involve a risky cancel/redeposit/reissue scenario?
2) what about changes to award tickets made online (ie. when one clicks the "change" button on an existing, ticketed award?). Does this cancel and reissue the ticket, with the attendant risks of losing existing segments-- or can individual legs be safely changed?
Thanks for clarification on this rather crucial point, which I don't see discussed much!