Originally Posted by
futuramadramallama
Oh fantastic, might you be able to shed a bit more light on the process? I found
this webpage which covers SDS/SDC (fourth section), but there are still a few details which are unclear.
- Are you able to change routing? For SDS they say you "must follow the originally ticketed itinerary," but for SDC they don't say anything.
- Do most airport agents or "call center" agents seem to be familiar with the feature, or that it's complimentary for 100k? Sometimes the airport agents aren't even sure how to sell a ticket.
- Is the travel time-frame by calendar day, or just +/- 24 hours of the scheduled departure of the first segment?
- Is the change time-frame midnight of the same calendar day, time zone of the first segment's departure? Or just 24 hours before the ticketed departure?
- Is it better to not check in first if you're pursuing an SDC?
Hopefully this wasn't too much, thanks for your time though.
I think the quick answer is that it's going to be up to the discretion of the individual employee. In the past, when I called in, the agents never knew it was free for elites and they would have to escalate to a supervisor to confirm. When I've SDC'd in-person, it's been 50/50. I have successfully changed to a flight a full 24 hours before my scheduled flight, but I was surprised they allowed it. It's not a big deal if you're already checked-in, but they will have to undo it if you SDC.