Mar 15, 2020, 10:29 am
Last edit by: Maestro Ramen
FARE RULES:
I pulled down the DL fare rules (these are BUD-SEA but they all appeared nearly identical). I posted them on a share. We can easily grab the AF and KL variants if others need those.
Q: This is a fully flexible fare with free changes. Does that mean I can change the flight dates as I want without paying anything extra?
A: No. The airline simply doesn't charge a change fee. But depending on the fare rules, you will still need to pay the difference to the new price.
Q: But I read that some people could change their flights for free...?
A: The rules for this fare (linked to above) specify that historical pricing shall be used if either at least one flight from the ticket has been taken or the outbound remains the same. In other words, in order to be able to change your flights for free, you must have flown at least one flight from your booking. Otherwise, you can only change the inbound. The outbound has to remain the same or you will be charged the fare difference.
Q: Can I change the rest of the itinerary after flying the first segment without any other charges or additional fare differences?
A: Yes this is possible according to the fare rules where after completing the first segment, you can change the rest of the flights for free (with the condition that the same fare class is available- I-class - in this case. According to the fare rules, after flying the FIRST segment (in the case here BUD-XXX) the historical fare is used. Possible to use the first stopover at AMS or CDG (see post #830).
Q: But some people could change their outbound flights for free!
A: They got lucky. It was probably a bug on the website/in the app. When no flight from the ticket has been flown, the fare rules do not allow changing the outbound without repricing.
Q: Ok, ok, so I can only change the inbound for free. How do I do that?
A: You search for availability for alternative flights on ITA Matrix using "F ..I2FFHU" in the extension codes. You must search for round trip flights as this is a round trip fare. Then you ignore the outbound result (as long as you haven't flown at least one flight from your ticket) and just try to rebook your inbound on the website/app.
Q: I have found availability on ITA Matrix, but the app/website doesn't show me those flights!
A: Keep trying. Sometimes you may have to serach in a different way (split up the searches, e.g. HNL-LAX and LAX-BUD), sometimes you just have to repeat the search several times. But that's no guarantee the desired results will turn up (and without repricing).
Q: It doesn't work. Can I just call the airline to make the changes?
A: Please don't unless you need to. Calling can increase the risk for all of us that they'll change their mind and disallow all further changes, or simply cancel everyone's tickets. However, as this fare has now been running for months and has seen many calls made about it, it is reasonable to expect that calling will not cause issues at this stage. As best practice, avoid attracting attention on the low price paid, and avoid making additional demands or tempting your luck. Remember you get to fly a J ticket for the cost of a Y fare.
Q: How many times can I make changes?
A: In theory, as often as you like, but you can't make more than two changes online/in the app. After that, you'd have to call, which we are trying to avoid.
Q: I've changed my mind. Can I get a refund?
A: Yes, the fare was fully refundable. Just contact the airline or fill out a refund form online.
Q: Due to Coronavirus, I need to extend my travel plan beyond the original expiry date. What can I do?
A: For Delta tickets (starting with 006) you can travel at any point until December 2022. Changes to flights within a 10 month window can be done at any point on the app, following the rules above. If you want to fly later than 10 months from now, you can call Delta and ask them to "park" your ticket. You will receive a ticket number that ties to an eCredit which can be used later to buy tickets. As long as you keep the original itinerary, or if you have flown at least a segment, you will not be charged a fare difference. Bear in mind that the eCredit may only be refundable if your original flight was cancelled (which is very likely in those day and times). Note that only Delta in the US are able to do this so do not call the EU numbers (use Skype to save money on international calls). According to user feedback: iMessage agents seem to also be able to do this, but twitter agents not.
I pulled down the DL fare rules (these are BUD-SEA but they all appeared nearly identical). I posted them on a share. We can easily grab the AF and KL variants if others need those.
Q: This is a fully flexible fare with free changes. Does that mean I can change the flight dates as I want without paying anything extra?
A: No. The airline simply doesn't charge a change fee. But depending on the fare rules, you will still need to pay the difference to the new price.
Q: But I read that some people could change their flights for free...?
A: The rules for this fare (linked to above) specify that historical pricing shall be used if either at least one flight from the ticket has been taken or the outbound remains the same. In other words, in order to be able to change your flights for free, you must have flown at least one flight from your booking. Otherwise, you can only change the inbound. The outbound has to remain the same or you will be charged the fare difference.
Q: Can I change the rest of the itinerary after flying the first segment without any other charges or additional fare differences?
A: Yes this is possible according to the fare rules where after completing the first segment, you can change the rest of the flights for free (with the condition that the same fare class is available- I-class - in this case. According to the fare rules, after flying the FIRST segment (in the case here BUD-XXX) the historical fare is used. Possible to use the first stopover at AMS or CDG (see post #830).
Q: But some people could change their outbound flights for free!
A: They got lucky. It was probably a bug on the website/in the app. When no flight from the ticket has been flown, the fare rules do not allow changing the outbound without repricing.
Q: Ok, ok, so I can only change the inbound for free. How do I do that?
A: You search for availability for alternative flights on ITA Matrix using "F ..I2FFHU" in the extension codes. You must search for round trip flights as this is a round trip fare. Then you ignore the outbound result (as long as you haven't flown at least one flight from your ticket) and just try to rebook your inbound on the website/app.
Q: I have found availability on ITA Matrix, but the app/website doesn't show me those flights!
A: Keep trying. Sometimes you may have to serach in a different way (split up the searches, e.g. HNL-LAX and LAX-BUD), sometimes you just have to repeat the search several times. But that's no guarantee the desired results will turn up (and without repricing).
Q: It doesn't work. Can I just call the airline to make the changes?
A: Please don't unless you need to. Calling can increase the risk for all of us that they'll change their mind and disallow all further changes, or simply cancel everyone's tickets. However, as this fare has now been running for months and has seen many calls made about it, it is reasonable to expect that calling will not cause issues at this stage. As best practice, avoid attracting attention on the low price paid, and avoid making additional demands or tempting your luck. Remember you get to fly a J ticket for the cost of a Y fare.
Q: How many times can I make changes?
A: In theory, as often as you like, but you can't make more than two changes online/in the app. After that, you'd have to call, which we are trying to avoid.
Q: I've changed my mind. Can I get a refund?
A: Yes, the fare was fully refundable. Just contact the airline or fill out a refund form online.
Q: Due to Coronavirus, I need to extend my travel plan beyond the original expiry date. What can I do?
A: For Delta tickets (starting with 006) you can travel at any point until December 2022. Changes to flights within a 10 month window can be done at any point on the app, following the rules above. If you want to fly later than 10 months from now, you can call Delta and ask them to "park" your ticket. You will receive a ticket number that ties to an eCredit which can be used later to buy tickets. As long as you keep the original itinerary, or if you have flown at least a segment, you will not be charged a fare difference. Bear in mind that the eCredit may only be refundable if your original flight was cancelled (which is very likely in those day and times). Note that only Delta in the US are able to do this so do not call the EU numbers (use Skype to save money on international calls). According to user feedback: iMessage agents seem to also be able to do this, but twitter agents not.
{prem fare gone}: AF/KL/DL/VS: BUD-US from $750 R/T
Mar 24, 2020, 1:51 pm
#556
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Western Europe
Posts: 205
Mar 25, 2020, 1:13 pm
#557
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 120
One thing I just noticed for my flight that I changed for corona induced cancellation flight, the one where no fee difference was applied when changing dates -- my ticket booking class changed to O from I/J. But when I read the ticket conditions it still says fully refundable so I think the only thing that gets impacted is the mileage accruals.
Mar 25, 2020, 3:39 pm
#558
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: SE+, OWS
Posts: 373
Just got a call from Delta as well as I changed my itinerary 4 days ago and It did not go through... They asked for 3500 USD per person for the change... Im speechless (the summary was 250 usd per person lol)
So I told them to reset the itinerary into the original one and Im stuck with my BUD LAX RT for now.. (I didnt catch the HNL fare)
So I told them to reset the itinerary into the original one and Im stuck with my BUD LAX RT for now.. (I didnt catch the HNL fare)
Mar 25, 2020, 7:02 pm
#559
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 1
I got phone from Delta today asking me to pay rebooking fee of $40.80 per each pax. We changed our return to HNL-MSP-JFK, two days in NY and JFK-AMS-BUD. Payment did not go through several days ago however changes were "confirmed" on DL MMB but not really. Now after payment on the phone flights are really confirmed. I just can't think how 1B and 1c is good or bad, if I am next to toilets on 767 or not.
Mar 26, 2020, 2:36 am
#560
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: AMS
Programs: BAEC Silver, Flying Blue Gold, TK M&S Nobody
Posts: 2,487
One thing I just noticed for my flight that I changed for corona induced cancellation flight, the one where no fee difference was applied when changing dates -- my ticket booking class changed to O from I/J. But when I read the ticket conditions it still says fully refundable so I think the only thing that gets impacted is the mileage accruals.
Mar 26, 2020, 10:58 am
#563
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: San Francisco, CA & Bangkok (Home)/Lawrenceville & Switzerland (Boarding School)/Baltimore, MD (College)
Programs: DL DM, AL MVPG 75K, SQ Gold, BA Silver, HH Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Marriot Plat, Hertz Pres Circle
Posts: 599
I even got an email from KLM saying flight was canceled and I could rebook for a later date in MyTrip. But no rebooking option comes up on line on phone or laptop? I was then “protected” on a couple of other flights that overlap lol. Where did you guys find the option to change flight online. I was able to find it before the canceled and delayed flights hit my itinerary.
Mar 29, 2020, 4:43 am
#564
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Posts: 568
I even got an email from KLM saying flight was canceled and I could rebook for a later date in MyTrip. But no rebooking option comes up on line on phone or laptop? I was then “protected” on a couple of other flights that overlap lol. Where did you guys find the option to change flight online. I was able to find it before the canceled and delayed flights hit my itinerary.
"Cancelled flights: We have listed the flights that have seats available. You can now rebook to another flight. Cancelled flights: AF2339 from Honolulu (HNL) to Los Angeles (LAX)"
Expedia didn't notify me on any cancellations and KLM doesn't let me rebook online. I'll wait patiently and see what options there are.
Mar 29, 2020, 9:09 am
#565
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: San Francisco, CA & Bangkok (Home)/Lawrenceville & Switzerland (Boarding School)/Baltimore, MD (College)
Programs: DL DM, AL MVPG 75K, SQ Gold, BA Silver, HH Diamond, Hyatt Globalist, Marriot Plat, Hertz Pres Circle
Posts: 599
Update. Called in and was routed to a Delta agent that handles AF. Was told I could book any flights up to a year later. No change fee or fair difference. First set of flights became DL marketed, which I feared wouldn’t earn many MQD, so called back again and requested KLM flight numbers. Opted for mid July (Birthday time). Here’s to hoping that this situation is semi resolved by July.
Mar 29, 2020, 6:02 pm
#568
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 120
Mar 30, 2020, 1:43 am
#569
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: ZRH
Programs: LX-SEN, KL-Gold, BA-Gold, LA-Comodoro
Posts: 94
Same here, trip shows still as active, even though I have cancelled it within 24hours via the online-form. I did it, because I had the same flight on the same date on two bookings (WS Segment YVR-HNL), so I have been scared that they would kick one of them out automatically.
Until now, still both trips show as active.
Until now, still both trips show as active.
Mar 30, 2020, 3:05 am
#570
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Western Europe
Posts: 205
Chaos at KLM 
Had to call three times today:
1) to change the flight. Agent: "sure, no problem". I did only receive one out of two etickets for two passengers though (ticket no. had changed for the passenger in question). So I had to...
2) call again. This time the agent confirmed that everything was okay. Second eticket would arrive in my mailbox in 15 minutes. Nothing, so I had to...
3) call a third time. This time the agend was confused and said her colleague made a mistake and that such a change costs 4.000 Euros and this is why only one eticket was re-issued (???!!). So I had to undo all the changes made.
Had to call three times today:1) to change the flight. Agent: "sure, no problem". I did only receive one out of two etickets for two passengers though (ticket no. had changed for the passenger in question). So I had to...
2) call again. This time the agent confirmed that everything was okay. Second eticket would arrive in my mailbox in 15 minutes. Nothing, so I had to...
3) call a third time. This time the agend was confused and said her colleague made a mistake and that such a change costs 4.000 Euros and this is why only one eticket was re-issued (???!!). So I had to undo all the changes made.
Last edited by altalk08; Mar 30, 2020 at 3:11 am