I'm booked on DFW one-year-out in November using Alaska, so hopefully their promise to return to a380 is true. It should make sense given that IAD is a terrible place to be in the winter, and DFW probably has more people in that timeframe?

I'm flying early March. Not at all happy about the change or flying 15 hours in a 20 inch wide seat.

Seat guru says only 69 inch pitch. Tell me that ain't true.

We solved our problem by switching to JFK flight. With 4 flights a day from JFK, seats are plentiful - or appeared to be. Went of 11:20 am flight, meaning more options if IRROPS. Actually considered the flight that stops in Milan just for the novelty, but opted out.


Logged into Alaska Air, picked new flights, left 2nd leg alone and all is fine. Just logged into EK and picked seats - bingo!

When is the change to 777 happening from DFW?

it's happening at the end of January
 

The change is happening at the end of January - just a few more weeks.

So this means you didn't have to call EK?

I called EK to switch to an a380 out of a different U.S. city, but they would only "sell" me a higher priced flight. They wouldn't allow me to switch to a different city and take a lower priced flight, said it wasn't possible. Looks like I am in for a fight. Not sure why they wouldn't want to accommodate a J class passenger when they are willing to switch cities to stay on an a380.
I've done flights on both 777 and a380 and the difference in how well I sleep is remarkable on the a380 compared to 777...mainly due to the privacy.
Any recommendations on how to best work with EK on this would be appreciated.
Thanks

The poster you quoted was on an Alaska miles freebie whereas you are on an EK paid ticket (I think). Different rules altogether.

probably easier on an AK freebie :rolleyes:

It was very easy. In all fairness, the cost for the original flight and the new flight were the same - all Alaska miles. And, it helps that their change fees are so very, very low - if at all.

As to the EK thing....maybe a case of HUCA and get someone that will listen to your logic and issue. On one hand, they are not giving you what you paid for (a380). On the other hand, most carriers are only obligated to get you from A to B to meet their side of the contract.

Maybe turn the entire discussion around:

I wonder if you instead said something like "I booked this flight because you TOLD ME it was the a380. Now it is not. Please cancel with no cancel charges". Then you can book the new one.

Unfortunately J class is irrelevant - you are asking to change to origin, which is fine, but as always, any fare difference and change fee must be applied.

It is likely that you are moving destination to a busy flight which only has the higher fare buckets available. The implication that you are being sold a higher class flight is that you are in a cheap J bucket, so it is reasonable to assume that if you want to get on a busy flight you have to buy a more expensive J ticket (well, pay fare difference). Saver Js also have change fees.

The only way you are going to get on that flight is to pay the applicable change fees and fare differences. Unfortunately that is the price you pay for a restricted ticket.

With the AS redemption, as Z class was available on the new flight, it was trivial to reticket (it would be up to the ticketing carrier AS if they wanted to levy any change fees - if EK was going to charge any change fees the onus would initially be on AS to pay them to EK)

I understand all of what you are saying, but I think EK puts themselves in a very bad position here. Remember that they are running advertisements throughout the U.S. (presumably elsewhere) specifically focused on the a380 business class. When the difference between the business product is stark (whether you prefer the 777 or a380 is not important), I feel as though I've been baited and switched. I think it's very different if I had booked a 777-3 and they switched to a 777-2.
The reality is that I would have booked a different gateway city in the U.S. if I had known that DFW would not be a380. At the time of booking (May), I had options to book those other cities at the same price, only now after the switch are those different cities more expensive.
To top it off, they won't allow me to switch to a cheaper return flight that would put me on the a380, because it's a cheaper ticket and I can only move to the same or higher ticket.
All that said, I'll write to them and tell them of my displeasure, although I doubt much will change.

Scheduled to fly at the beginning of September in F. If the route is still running the 777 I'll be asking the crew...

"Hi, can you tell me where the shower is? What do you mean there's no shower? Emirates planes have showers...and bars....."