Originally Posted by
aacharya
Upfare the IAH to SFO leg to the next fare class.
You're unlikely to be able to upfare just a single leg; it would require breaking the fare there, and it is almost certain to be so much more expensive than simply upfaring the whole IAH-PEK fare.
Originally Posted by
catahoulafriend
I’m not sure how to approach at this point. Modify the ticket to higher paying class? Eat dollars/miles for the upgrade? (which I would prefer not to do as I would have to spend) FWIW, I have upcoming travel to VCE 9/15-9/25, so I could potentially modify this ticket class as well. I’m not sure about the best approach. Advice?? Thank you!!
If you can convince an agent to allow you to upfare without charging a change fee -- you can ask about GG BUYUP, although that's mostly intended for changing to the next cabin -- you could potentially upfare your outbound. However, there's no guarantee that the upfare amount will be palatable. I did a sample check for some random dates, and the delta between the lowest (K) and next-lowest (L) was only $16 PQD, but the delta between L and the next lowest after that (T) was another $81 PQD.
If the buy-ups aren't attractive, or you can't get the agent to waive the change fee, just fly somewhere. :-) Come to AUS and get some barbecue, head to ORD for some pizza, or go to MSY for some cajun. Google Flights is your friend.
Just make sure to avoid Basic Economy, as you won't get PQD for that.