Originally Posted by
Grace B
Rather than living with uncertainty until the very last minute (or beyond), I am tempted to cancel all my tickets, get my money back, and rebook...
Just a little update.
When I contacted the QR Australian call centre number yesterday I was told bluntly that nothing could be done until 24 hours before my DOH-HBE flight. Not very helpful, I thought.
So I thought I'd try again today (HUACA and all that). Well, the initial response (from a completely different person, but still with an Indian accent) was pretty much the same. Then I suggested that if they could change my booking to a nearby but open port, it would save them and me time and money, and not to mention a little bit more certainty, so I could get on with planning my travels.
This seemed to do the trick. I mentioned that I would be happy to have my destination changed to BEY (in A class). The agent went away to check if this was possible, and came back a few minutes later saying, yes, OK. So my ticket was changed to a flight to BEY with a 3 hour connection in DOH, which then allowed me to book another ticket (on A3) from BEY to ATH/FCO on the same day. Somewhat more convenient than my original booking.
The moral of the story seems to be that if you don't want to be stuffed around at the last minute, ask nicely for your ticket to be changed to a nearby origin/destination, and then make your own arrangements for onward travel, etc. Just don't let them browbeat you into accepting this "24 hour rule".