Originally Posted by
hscottm
sorry if I implied I didnt understand it was a discounted fare, but $4000 as a change fee - you have to agree thats steep!
... except that it's not a change fee, it's a refare because you're changing the outbound leg. And the % difference in cost isn't really out of line -- changing a cheap $200 T economy fare the day before departure could easily end up costing $1000 on the refare.
Yes, it's expensive, but that's the difference between an advance purchase and no advance purchase. And there's a reason airlines do it that way.
Originally Posted by
boifromtroy
It may be asking too much, but why not explain the situation when confirming the schedule change and ask to do IAD-PIT the day before. If they do not allow, then ask for the 7 PM.
Definitely a good idea -- it never hurts to ask. Might be a little complicated to split the PNR for the OP and his wife, but it should be doable.
One other thing: don't accept any changes until you're completely comfortable with them. Once you accept a new itinerary, no more free changes.