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 30, 2020, 10:48 am
#586
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Manhattan Beach, California
Programs: BMI Diamond Club Gold forever
Posts: 6,367
So it looks like this one is sticking and not being cancelled. Happy to see that as it ties in nicely to the one way awards we already had to DBV in August and allows us to not only get some beach time but also take my kids to Cluj in Romania and do a history lesson for my kids and one of the fun Dracula tours there before we hit Budapest for a couple of days.
Mar 30, 2020, 11:02 am
#587
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: AMS
Programs: BAEC Silver, Flying Blue Gold, TK M&S Nobody
Posts: 2,485
Anyone know if asking DL to reissue the ticket on prime flight numbers would count as the one change GDS will allow? Figure codeshares is the issue blocking use of the online change engine for two of my itineraries, but no point asking if that reissue then blocks the change engine anyway...
Mar 30, 2020, 7:13 pm
#588
Join Date: Mar 2018
Programs: DL DM, FB Gold
Posts: 296
I have my tickets for September booked both on delta.com and airfrance.com. Today I logged in and realized the HNL-LAX leg is canceled with no option given and no notification. So my itinerary now consists of BUD-AMS-YVR-HNL and LAX-CDG-BUD. Sounds weird, right? The flight HNL-LAX is still bookable online so it might be some kind of glitch. I will wait for several days and then try to solve it. Who do you think is better to contact? AF or DL service center? Does anyone of you have a similar problem? And do you think guys I will be able to make a week layover in YVR when the change occurred?
Also I have no idea what you mean by "And do you think guys I will be able to make a week layover in YVR when the change occurred?".
Mar 30, 2020, 8:51 pm
#589
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Italy
Programs: Flying Blue, Alaska MP, Hyatt, AA
Posts: 27
Data point: Just changed my recently-canceled mid-April outbound (BUD-CDG-LAX), with no change fees or price increase, via Facebook chat with Delta (flights were canx'd by the airlines.) Now I'm scheduled for late May. The chat was fairly painless.
The ticket stock is 006, outbound is DL marketed (AF BUD-CDG; DL CDG-LAX), inbound is AF marketed (VS operated LAX-LHR; with AF the rest of the way.) Booked via U.S. Amex travel site.
The Delta agent confirmed that the tickets are still fully refundable/changeable. She also offered to change the inbound (AF coded) legs.
Hopefully this helps someone.
The ticket stock is 006, outbound is DL marketed (AF BUD-CDG; DL CDG-LAX), inbound is AF marketed (VS operated LAX-LHR; with AF the rest of the way.) Booked via U.S. Amex travel site.
The Delta agent confirmed that the tickets are still fully refundable/changeable. She also offered to change the inbound (AF coded) legs.
Hopefully this helps someone.
Mar 31, 2020, 1:31 pm
#590
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: NYC
Posts: 117
Data Point:
I received an e-mail from AirFrance for a flight I cancelled through their online form within 24 hours of booking:
"Thank you for getting in touch with Air France United States.
Our sincerest apologies as we are unable to attend to your concerns immediately as of this moment due to high volumes of calls and e-mails.
In regards with your request, I am glad to informed you that the refund has been successfully processed.
Please be advised that it usually take 4-6 weeks to be charged back to the card that you used upon purchasing the ticket.
Should you have any concern, please let us know.
Have a nice day!
Kind regards,
"
I received an e-mail from AirFrance for a flight I cancelled through their online form within 24 hours of booking:
"Thank you for getting in touch with Air France United States.
Our sincerest apologies as we are unable to attend to your concerns immediately as of this moment due to high volumes of calls and e-mails.
In regards with your request, I am glad to informed you that the refund has been successfully processed.
Please be advised that it usually take 4-6 weeks to be charged back to the card that you used upon purchasing the ticket.
Should you have any concern, please let us know.
Have a nice day!
Kind regards,
"
Apr 1, 2020, 6:10 am
#593
Join Date: Apr 2005
Programs: AF/KL FB Plat ; A3 Gold ; HH Gold ; IHG Plat Amb
Posts: 2,380
In the current circumstances, the deal is hardly a huge mistake deal: many airlines have offers at 1000 EUR round trip long haul from Europe in business class. Here (apart from Hawaii) including taxes and fees etc. we are at 700-900 EUR round trip which is way more than economy and similar to premium economy, and not a big difference with what promo biz could be. The bonus is that we get to keep the flexibility of these tickets.
Apr 1, 2020, 6:38 am
#595
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: MUC
Programs: TK Elite, FB Gold
Posts: 315
What makes this a particularly good one is having the US islands included in the deal and being able to combine West and East coast on the same route. This looks promising. Hoping to be able to make some changes in a few months as the schedule moves around a bit and the call centers (hopefully) become less busy.
Apr 1, 2020, 7:02 am
#596
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 170
Apr 1, 2020, 8:16 am
#597
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: MSP
Programs: DL PlatMM, BA and Alaska Emerald, HHonors DIA, Accor, Marriott Titanium, IHG Plat Amb, UA Silver, AA
Posts: 4,516
TBH while the fare was good, I have been occasionally asserting in this thread the same thing that Ranskis said-- the people on here insisting it's a mistake waiting to be found seems a touch panicky considering the current prices-- tons of Biz fares from Eastern Europe to the USA for US$1100, to Hawaii for $1400. In terms of price, of course I considered this a great fare, but the extra bonus was the refundability and the fun routings allowed. Myself, I'm planning 4 days in STT, my first time in the USVI!
Apr 1, 2020, 12:47 pm
#600
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Somewhere between BHX and HUY
Programs: Flying Blue Plat, Eurobonus Silver, ALL Gold
Posts: 1,686
Hey, we were all young some day....
That asside, I have a question for experts. So I commited the cardinal sin (yvmv) of buying a ticket for additional persons without even asking them for their opinion. Whilst I am hopeful that they will see this as a pleasant surprise (I am still shutting my mouth tight until things calm down a bit internationally). In the event that they categorically refuse to travel, am I able to refund only certain pax on the tickets but not others, or do I have to lose the whole thing. I would be really bummed to lose out on this winter trip to sunny california.
That asside, I have a question for experts. So I commited the cardinal sin (yvmv) of buying a ticket for additional persons without even asking them for their opinion. Whilst I am hopeful that they will see this as a pleasant surprise (I am still shutting my mouth tight until things calm down a bit internationally). In the event that they categorically refuse to travel, am I able to refund only certain pax on the tickets but not others, or do I have to lose the whole thing. I would be really bummed to lose out on this winter trip to sunny california.