Originally Posted by
xyzzy
I've had similar problems when I asked to be protected on a later connecting flight. The agent moved me instead of just protecting me with a backup reservation. I suspect that either CO looks upon protection differently from other airlines or that the agent involved somehow did not understand my very clear request.
They CAN do it correctly. They just don't do it very often.
When I struggled with it a couple of weeks ago it took getting an agent on the phone who actually understood what I wanted and who was willing to note my Platinum status as the reason for doing it. My offer to buy the refundable ticket with full knowledge that I didn't plan on using it probably didn't hurt the situation either.