Will award ticket price go down anytime soon for a flight in 2.5 weeks?
May 7, 2018, 3:20 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2017
Programs: Delta, Marriott, Hyatt, SPG, American
Posts: 10
Will award ticket price go down anytime soon for a flight in 2.5 weeks?
I booked a ticket DCA-ZRH with Skymiles for 70k and now need to change timing of the flight -- Flying to JFK in the morning for a night time flight out of JFK, but now need to leave DC later. Only options right now have me changing to a flight for 225k -- is it possible that flights will open up close in. I am Platinum so I know that I can try same-day confirmed, but was wondering what the trends are for award tickets closer in? Is there a good chance that cheaper awards will open back up close in? All help very much appreciated!
Last edited by millenialmiler; May 7, 2018 at 3:20 pm Reason: Want to clarify subject line.
May 7, 2018, 3:35 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2017
Programs: Delta, Marriott, Hyatt, SPG, American
Posts: 10
May 7, 2018, 3:44 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Back in Reds Country (DAY/CVG). Previously: SEA & SAT.
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I booked a ticket DCA-ZRH with Skymiles for 70k and now need to change timing of the flight -- Flying to JFK in the morning for a night time flight out of JFK, but now need to leave DC later. Only options right now have me changing to a flight for 225k -- is it possible that flights will open up close in. I am Platinum so I know that I can try same-day confirmed, but was wondering what the trends are for award tickets closer in? Is there a good chance that cheaper awards will open back up close in? All help very much appreciated!
Also, is your DCA-JFK ticket a different ticket than your JFK-ZRH ticket? If not, you can't SDC as you cannot SDC on a ticket until all international segments have been flown.
May 7, 2018, 7:16 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 27,222
Can you get DL to just drop the DCA-JFK segment from the award without having to reprice it? AA lets you do this on awards in some cases (it’s a way around the award change fee that they usually charge when changing origin or destination). I’m skeptical DL would, but it’s worth raising.
Then, you can get yourself to JFK on another award or paid ticket.
Then, you can get yourself to JFK on another award or paid ticket.
May 7, 2018, 8:15 pm
#6
Join Date: Sep 2011
Programs: Delta DM, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 1,492
I had an award ticket for my father (no status), but booked with my miles where I wanted to do something similar. He was flying MCO-ATL-JNB and he had an 8 hour layover in ATL. Changing the domestic flight changed the one-way award from something like 80k miles to 220k miles. The day before the flight I asked if he could leave in the afternoon instead to shorten the layover, and the agent did make the change without penalty. I think your best option is to explain why your circumstances have changed and hope to find a sympathetic agent.
May 7, 2018, 9:42 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2017
Programs: Delta, Marriott, Hyatt, SPG, American
Posts: 10
Can you get DL to just drop the DCA-JFK segment from the award without having to reprice it? AA lets you do this on awards in some cases (it’s a way around the award change fee that they usually charge when changing origin or destination). I’m skeptical DL would, but it’s worth raising.
Then, you can get yourself to JFK on another award or paid ticket.
Then, you can get yourself to JFK on another award or paid ticket.
May 8, 2018, 4:57 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 23,021
Award tickets have used married segment logic for several years now. It's no different than with a revenue ticket. If you bought a revenue fare on these flights where the fare had a 3-week advance purchase and wanted to make this change within 3 weeks of your flights, you would no longer qualify for the 3 week advance fare and would be expected to pay the fare difference. Or if the new flights simply no longer had the same fare bucket inventory available as the flights you originally booked, again you would have to pay the fare difference.
Last edited by xliioper; May 8, 2018 at 5:10 am
May 8, 2018, 6:37 am
#9
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 123
It sounds like you may have purchased the original ticket a while ago. Have their been substantial changes to the timing of the flights? I have had good luck with rescheduling flights for free due to changes that resulted in tight connections, inconvenient departure or arrival times, etc.
May 8, 2018, 6:45 am
#10
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Join Date: Jun 2001
Programs: DL 1 million, AA 1 mil, HH lapsed Diamond, Marriott Plat
Posts: 28,190
Delta has used married segments on awards since Nov. '14. AA's implementation is more recent. Delta, unlike AA's rule mentioned by ijgordon, does not have a provision to drop the first or last segment without repricing.
