HI all.
My typical shaggy dog story but I will try and keep brief and factual.

Had a Dubai 2 4 1 booked end October (booked prior to April 28th) in F. 120,000 TP.. using a 2 4 1 which expires in November 2015.

Now need / want to visit very sick relative in PDX . . I understood that I could make changes to a redemption made prior to devaluation..

Found tickets to YVR in F and return from Den in J.. so tried to do this at lunch time but was told that because it was a different zone (6 as opposed to the original booking being in 5) that it couldn't be done.

I was pretty gutted but the agent said that I could still change to Dubai one for another trip before 28th April 2016 ... so I took the decision to do this and retain the booking with a view to looking for a carribean redemption or weekend in new York before April ..

After making the YVR booking and using another 2 for 1 (my husbands) which expires in April 2016 - I then asked the agent to double check I could still change the Dubai booking for something else as suggested but then she came back and said because the 2 for 1 expires in November, the change would have to be for an outbound before then..

Obviously that doesn't leave us any time at all.

So I asked if they could switch the vouchers on the two bookings. She said she would ask and after a few minutes, came back triumphantly saying it had been done!

I was satisfied with this as a result despite now being 50K Avios down due to having to pay the new rates for the YVR / DEN flights which I was a bit gutted about since my lovely 300K balance is now looking very sad and empty.

Anyhow, about an hour ago, I had a call from BA.. the agent was very apologetic and said that unfortunately despite having told me they had done it.. when it came to doing the deed the 'computer said NO' due to one 2 for 1 being mine and the other being my husbands.

I tried to call Customer services but after another lengthy call there is nothing they can do today but told me to call tomorrow.

WIth my 24 hour cooling off period getting short, I have looked to see if I can find another way to get to PDX in a flat bed (my husband is 3 weeks post a complete hip replacement) at an affordable price in the next month (sadly the ex DUB fares don't start til 24th November and I am will be due to start my HNL run then. Also, and more importantly, we can't leave it that long as my SIL's prognosis is very poor .

So questions -

1. Did we all on this board think that a pre-devaluation change could be done irrespective of zone? (which would have solved all my problems... as I could have simply made the chance for £70 change fee and 5,000 extra miles. And 2 Does anyone think I have any chance of recovering this situation as above with a bit of pleading or will I have to cancel both bookings and try and book again (keeping fingers crossed that the limited seats will pop back up again) and say goodbye to the chance of a pre-devaluation redemption of any type.. (and what do people think the chance of the seats popping back in the system would be?)
or 3
any other ideas of cheap flat bed to PDX in the next month!

Thanks for any helpful suggestions as ever!