CXFlyerBoy

You definitely can be put on an earlier flight. I don't think we will ever get a situation where bookings are so rammed that they are booked out on every flight. There is no difference if you make the change now, ask at check in or transfer, or at the lounge. If your original/target flight is not overbooked, they will charge you the change fee for your ticket if your PE subclass is E. Otherwise, I think W and R are FOC for changes. Also, what EY subclass are you ticketed for the BKK leg? That might incur change fees, so the more info you provide, people here can help give a more accurate analysus. There isn't a roll of the dice thing for which will yield a better chance.

midlevels

Surprised to hear this about PVG flights. There are so many flights daily and going in both directions I've been able to check in for the "next available flight" instead of my scheduled flight without paying any fees, even on tickets that had change fees.

CXFlyerBoy

dmatthew

This just happened to me last Monday (Nov. 4).

I arrived into HKG from EWR at 5.30am. My original HKG-MNL flight was scheduled for 9.00am (CX901) in E (class H) but I took my chances on getting onto the earlier 7.30am (CX907) flight. CX personnel at the ticketing area, which is beside the transfer section, told me that they needed to do find my luggage first and then once found, they will see if there's any seat availability for me.

After 40 minutes of waiting, the CX agent said they located my luggage and then proceeded to book me onto the earlier flight. They also told me that they wouldn't charge a fee this time but for any subsequent changes, they will impose any change fee as stipulated on the ticket class.

Just curious if I could've just went through the transfer area and have CX personnel at the lounges (MPC Silver) help me execute the above as I could've spent the 40 minutes at a lounge to grab a bite and take quick shower.

CXFlyerBoy

yes you can. You could have also done what you have done and told them you would wait for news in the lounge

dmatthew

Good to know, next time this happens I'll just go to the lounge to process this.

The only reason I didn't go to the lounge was that the agent at the ticketing counter specifically said that I could not enter the lounge and had to wait the entire 40 minutes within the ticketing area.

QRC3288

Maybe the checked bag thing makes a difference?

ernestnywang

I have asked at the lounge before (but that was over a year ago) and they were able to do it (again, if there were still seats by the time they found my bag).

pochi

I'm doing a back-to-back HKG-TPE, and heading to BKK next day.

Any chance I can:
Go show in HKG and try to ask for any chances i can take an earlier TPE-HKG.

My ticket:

HKG - TPE redemption
TPE-HKG-BKK business I class

ricktoronto

There is 100% chance you can ask, that is purely up to you.

CXFlyerBoy

you do like to make insensible comments that doesn’t add value to poster’s questions.

percysmith

I thought outstations are better at sending people out early.

Your GO will help.

ricktoronto

Well the question has been kicked to death with a "definite" answer of maybe they will, maybe they won't so asking city by city, route by route does not change that.

Full fare Y, J or F are likely the only things that would assure someone and anything apart from that whether BKK, or TPE or Bunga Banga Island qualifies for magic free changes is nothing more than guesswork, plain and simple.

In the specific case, the outbound has been flown so that segment literally means nothing and an I business fare is restricted and thus inherits a fee or, a maybe they will, maybe they won't otherwise.

THR

Booked SYD-HKG CX110 with arrival at 15.25, and then don’t depart to SGN until 22.25.

This is paid J.

There is an earlier departure at 16.50 - but they won’t allow me to change to this without fee (AUD300 per person, so a little high for my liking).

We will have checked luggage.

Any ideas how to change to earlier flight without fee? Or should I just accept we are going to spend ~5-6 hours at the seemingly dismal J lounge(s)?

CXFlyerBoy

You would need to pray that your original flight is oversold and the previous flight has seats. Even that you have to also pray that they don’t charge Tks the fee. If time is so important to you, suck it up and pay the change fee