Hoping you guys can give me a realistic view of whether or not my wife and I will get hit with a change fee down the road. We were scheduled to go to Key West yesterday for three nights. On Wednesday morning on the way to a meeting my wife was involved in an accident on the Garden State Parkway...a major highway in NJ. She is OK (very sore actually) but extremely shaken up. She called me right after and assured me that she was OK but told me staight out she is NOT going to Key West the next day and that her decision is final. Obviously I am relieved she is fine but pissed because our trip is shot. She probably made a good call not going as she is still really shaken up and her soreness has gotten to the point that she is limping around a bit. She saw her doctor yesterday who prescribed muscle relaxers. ^

I called CO and got a very helpful CSR who cancelled our next day flights and issued each of us a $280 credit (full value of each ticket). She told me we have until 8/2009 to book new flights and can use the credit towards the flights. She mentioned there could be a $150 change/modification fee on EACH of us...potentially $300 total. She did put in our notes the details on my wife's accident and suggested I hold onto the police report and subsequent doctor visit info which I have done. She mentioned to me that she was pretty sure if we explain the situation the $300 in fees will be waived when we make the new reservations down the road.

Just to check with the FT experts...what are the chances that we are able to get the $300 total fees waived (or at least reduced)? Also can we use this credit for our flights and our kids as well? In other words if we have $560 in credit and the flights my wife and I are booking are only $150 each can we use the additional $260 towards our kids flights? Not sure how these credits work...will we be receiving paper vouchers or do we need to call to use them? The CSR stated they are associated with our One Pass numbers but I do not see them online.

Thanks!!!

I have not had your situation, but I would hold onto the police report and the doctor's notes. I have had luck with changing tickets without the change fee. But this was sometime ago and it involved me going to a CO ticket office

My mom was hospitalized on the date of her trip and they tagged her for change fee. I've seen no mercy in recent months.

I would not expect medical problems to allow for waiver of fee.

That's why they sell Trip Protector.

Doesn't hurt to try though.

I'll answer this piece.

You each have a ticket in your name. You will have to use the tickets in your respective names. Any residual value will be issued to you as an Electronic Travel Certificate (ETC). The ETC will be issued in your names but do NOT have to be used by you.

So you do NOT have $560 in credit, you have 2 x $280 unused tickets:

$280 PERSON 1
$280 PERSON 2

If you buy a family trip for $150 per person, you would need to buy:

RECORD 1:
$150 - $280 PERSON 1 (receive $130 residual ETC)
$150 - $280 PERSON 2 (receive $130 residual ETC)

RECORD 2:
$150 - $130 ETC PERSON 3 (pay $20)
$150 - $130 ETC PERSON 4 (pay $20)