Originally Posted by
jgold
Thank you. Here's why I continue to be confused (there are many reasons, but here's the main one): I just spoke with the RTW desk, and this is how they described the process for e-tickets vs. paper tickets.
E-tickets: Each and every routing change results in a $125 fee and is effective instantly. That is, the ticket for the new segment "reissues" with each change, and I would receive a new ticket number for that segment on the spot.
Paper tickets: I receive a new ticket number for a new segment following a re-routing only when I physically turn in the paper ticket. Therefore, I can make multiple routing changes to a paper ticket and pay only a SINGLE $125 fee if I wait until all my routing changes are complete before I physically turn in my paper tickets and get new ones. But, the catch is that any seat I am holding on a "new" segment is really only held temporarily, because I don't have an actual ticket number associated with that new segment (which doesn't happen until I get the new paper ticket). Accordingly, a foreign carrier (say, CX) could cancel my seat on their carrier if I wait too long to reissue my ticket. Accordingly, while I can book a new paper ticket routing over the phone, if I want to be sure I'm holding that seat, I need to go in to an AA office and physically turn in the ticket (or mail it in), pay the $125 fee, and potentially pay a $125 fee again if I later make another routing change.
To be clear, none of this is based on personal experience, just what I've been told be the AA RTW desk. I also think this is consistent with what DownUnderFlyer wrote above, although it's a bit of an elaboration on it. Does my description sound correct?
Thanks.
You can change multiple segments for a single fee -- and the fee is USD 125 plus whatever additional change fee the airline you are using has (this varies from zero to another USD 100). All of the changes have to be at the same time. Most airlines won't let you book segments and not reissue the ticket for a long time any more -- in the past it was possible to not reissue for weeks or even months. Now a few hours is more typical, and sometimes not even that. So you do have to plan your changes out and make them all at once, or be hit by multiple change fees. Personally I like this change in airline policy, it cuts down on people holding dozens of seats that they don't intend to fly, and makes A/D inventory much more available on certain routes and dates. Yes, there was tremendous abuse by a few individuals in the past, which led to this change in policy. I think it was absurd to let someone book the same flight for every day for a month, when they can only fly 1 of those 30 segments -- but that was allowed, and that is what some people did. No longer.