Originally Posted by corporate-wage-slave

Different airlines have different approaches, and yes in some cases they will take over a travel agent booking, often as a result of the contracting arrangement with the agent concerned. BA tends to the view that agents are in the business to handle bookings, and so their approach is "hands off" unless within 24 hours of departure or force majeure (e.g. the agent going bust, but the ticket in question was in fact paid up). If there is non BA metal then it gets even harder. I wouldn't take the selling buckets as accurate. Normally speaking agents are pretty customer focused, unless they are totally online only, ticket cash-and-carry. Given the time you should be OK, people can and do change their bookings.