Originally Posted by
TokyoKid
I'm an Elite member and did call the Elite number. Even though I spent over one hour on the telephone when making the reservations, I was told I couldn't stop over in SFO or NRT. I'll try, though, on the day we fly to the US to change our return itinerary upon check-in. Perhaps I'll have better luck there and in WC. I also plan on calling the WP Elite number 2-3 more times before our departure date to see if anything can be changed. I can be a persistent pain in the rear! Pleasant but persistent.
Question: What's a VDB?
VDB=Voluntarily Denied Boarding as opposed to IDB=Involuntarily Denied Boarding, just volunteering to take a "bump" from your flight for compensation offered by the airlines.
Tell them you'd like a
longer legal layover (which on an international itinerary should be less than 24 hrs., but on a domestic itinerary is less than four hours), preferably in SFO. Another stopover may break the fare but a layover doesn't. There would have to be availability and you may have to pay a change fee, if your fare allows changes without reticketing. If your fare doesn't allow changes without reticketing, ask what changes can be made to the return, once you've completed the outbound (and how much it costs). Usually changes to the return are easier/less expensive and not require reticketing.