Changing Fare Classes Half Way Through Itinerary
 

Before I knew about fare classes and still had a single digit post count here, I bought a ticket in H class JFK-NRT-DFW-ABQ. I’m in NRT now, and almost had to make an emergency trip back to NY last week. When I was looking, only B and Y class fares were available, and the B class tickets I saw were only about $200 more than what I paid for my ticket in H back in November.

Particularly since I’d like to try and upgrade my NRT-DFW segment, I called to see if I could change the booking class now. The woman I spoke with really seemed to be trying, but couldn’t do it, and I think she might have been misinformed.

She told me that there was no B class availability on my flight. Meanwhile, ExpertFlyer is showing Y7 B7 H7 and on and on. So, I asked her to check again. She then said that the fare classes are directional, and while you can book a ticket in B from JFK-NRT-JFK you can’t book a B class ticket for travel originating from Japan (ie. NRT-JFK-NRT). I know this to be incorrect, because I was looking at NRT-JFK-NRT itineraries in B last week, but has anyone been able to change fare classes after starting travel? Is this a case of call back and see if you can get someone who is better informed?

Thanks,

Alex

It may depend on the particular details of the H class that you've bought--some might need to be purchased in conjunction with a return in the same class. I'm not sure, but try looking closely at the details.

If there's nothing specific in there, then I would think you might have better luck just trying to call again. Let us know what happens.

I don't think it has anything to do with the OP's original ticket. Whatever the rules for that ticket are, it can be changed by paying the change fee and the fare difference.

I haven't researched B fares NRT-ABQ, but it sounds like the OP has. (I will note, however, that you need to look at NRT-ABQ, not NRT-DFW, as the fares and the rules could very well be different.) If you're convinced you're right, call back.

That's the important part.

Hmm? I think she should have said the other way around. According to EF there are no published B fares from neither JFK nor ABQ to NRT. However there are B fares when originating in Japan, such as NRT-ABQ-NRT or NRT-JFK-NRT.

I think that when you upgrade a segment, which probably should be possible, you need to fulfill the requirements on the entire trip, even though you only upgrade the return segment. As, if this hypothesis is correct, B fares are not available originating in the US for tha Japanese market the upgrade fails.

I have no idea what it means, but whatever it means it's almost certainly wrong.