Originally Posted by AlisoninAlaska
I am curious what happened when you called back? The entire conversation didn't sound right, but then again, that happens sometimes. I am the queen of missed flights, my experience has been they just have to put you in the same fare class and if you go into a different fare class they will charge you more in addition to the change fee. The agent sounds like they were trying to book you a completely new ticket, not just change an existing reservation.
I know you didn't realize at the time you were dealing with the phone agent, but they were saying stuff that sounds odd... next time just tell them you have to think about it and hang up and call back. Usually the next agent will be much more helpful.
Be careful about getting a credit and rebooking because if you book into an internet only fare you cannot call and manually use your credit (via an eticket number they give you) to pay for the new reservation. ALTHOUGH they have done this for me in the past but only one time and claimed it was some miracle.
If I were in your shoes, the best bet would be to call the change desk and have your flight changed to the different day and they should only charge you the $50 change fee.
Kind of silly run arounds, I know. Hopefully you've already got this all straightened out. Curious how it worked out for you?
Alison
Chugiak, AK
From my travel agent days, things could have changed, but this is the way it used to be:
If you have not begun travel on an itinerary, you don't just pay a $50 change fee - you must requalify for the fare once again, which means it must be a fare that still exists, the space must be available to rebook in that fare bucket, you must still meet all minimum requirements. SO, if I understand it correctly, you are still pretty much requalifying for a new fare and the agent was right. Paying ONLY the $50 fee pretty much only applies to changes on the return flights and there must be space available in the fare bucket for you to change it. As well, you must also still meet the original requirement of the fare you are on. This means you must still meet the original overnight stay requirement and any time or day restrictions.