My wife is booked on non-stop award flights from the US to CDG and back next month in business class. Her return flight was cancelled and she was automatically rebooked to come back one day earlier. Unfortunately, that timing doesn't work for her. She called AF (as instructed in the cancellation email), and they said it was no problem to rebook her onto the same flight on the day following her original flight (which is also the next available flight). They said she would just have to call Delta to make the change since they issued the ticket.

I called Delta on her behalf and they refused to make the change because there was no award space remaining. After some pushing, the agent agreed to contact AF and request the change. AF told the agent they won't open award space on the next available flight after her cancelled flight, but they would make a "one time exception" to put her on that flight, provided she voluntarily agrees to downgrade from J to Y (with no refund of miles).

This seems unfair to me because we really aren't looking for "award space" as if we were making a new booking, but rather a reaccomodation to the next available flight after a cancelled flight. And if they are willing to make an exception to move her to the next available non-stop flight, why not just keep her in her original class of service? I spoke with a supervisor as well and she was in no mood to entertain this request.

Are we just SOL or should I call back again to press my case? Although she prefers the non-stop flight on AF, will Delta rebook her in J on connecting flights on their own metal (on her original date of travel) if we push for that instead?