I've booked a LATAM fare that's quite flexible. It's fully refundable before departure and changes are permitted with a change fee. I'm looking to make some date and time changes, all into the same fare buckets and all prior to departure of the first flight. I would introduce a stopover at a different port but the rules state unlimited free stopovers.
The fare rules talk a lot about using the historical fare being used to re-price. For example:
-CHANGES TO UNUSED TICKET-
1.WHEN THE FIRST FLIGHT COUPON IS CHANGED THE
ITINERARY MUST BE RE-PRICED USING CURRENT FARES IN
EFFECT ON THE DATE THE TICKET IS REISSUED THE
ITINERARY MUST MEET ALL RULE PROVISIONS OF THE
NEWLY TICKETED FARE.
2.WHEN THERE ARE NO CHANGES TO THE FIRST FLIGHT
COUPON BUT OTHER FARE COMPONENTS ARE CHANGED THE
ITINERARY MUST BE RE-PRICED USING HISTORICAL
FARES IN EFFECT ON THE PREVIOUS TICKETING DATE.
THE NEW ITINERARY MUST MEET ALL THE PROVISIONS OF
THE NEWLY TICKETED FARES
And:
-CHANGES TO PARTIALY [SIC] USED TICKETS THE
ITINERARY MUST BE RE-PRICED USING HISTORICAL
FARES IN EFFECT ON THE PREVIOUS TICKETING DATE.
THE NEW ITINERARY MUST MEET ALL RULE PROVISIONS
OF THE NEWLY TICKETED FARE. THE RECALCULATED FARE
MUST BE THE FARE THAT COULD HAVE BEEN USED IF
PURCHASED ON THE ORIGINAL TICKETING DATE.
If the changes I'm making involve the same fare buckets, why is LATAM wanting to charge me several hundred dollars more?
If I wait until after the first flight is flown, will I avoid any re-price, subject to using the same fare buckets? Is there something specific in the rules that I need to look for in order for that to be possible?