I'm traveling with someone that is using a OneWorld Around the World ticket. (I'm only doing part of it without one) We had a flight from Quito to Galapagos on Sunday morning and we have a Cruise booked where we are required to have a morning flight to catch the cruise. Now the flight by LAN was rescheduled from the morning to the afternoon. They are only able to offer us a flight that is one day earlier, where we already have different plans, including a Hotel and Car Booking. So this is not suitable for us. They are unable to offer any better flights within the OneWorld network.

Now the best thing is: They won't even allow us to simple forfeit this one flight and make separate arrangements with other airlines that fly in the morning. They travel agents tells us that we A) Because they are offering an alternative we cannot cancel this flight and B) If we don't use this flight all consequent flights will be canceled.

I know that airlines are doing B) and it makes sense to me, but I simply cannot wrap my had around A).

Is this within their rights? I haven't found anything like that in the Rule book of OneWorld. Anything that can I do here?

Did LAN issue the xONEx ticket? If not then the first thing you should do is check with whoever issued the xONEx ticket.

The issuing carrier will be able to help you more than the operating carrier.

Worse case scenario is you can always change the xONEx ticket and pay the $125 fee for changing UIO-GPS to a surface segment. Book a separate flight, and then claim the $125 change fee and cost of a new flight to your travel insurance. As far as your non-RTW ticket, cancel the remaining ticket, get a refund and then book what you need.

Option two - go a day earlier and cancel your hotel and rental car. Personally, this would be my solution as I never make non-refundable hotel or car reservations and would require much less paperwork. You could always go to UIO a day earlier, add an extra hotel night on the front to make up for the one lost on the back, and rent the car and do your thing the extra day on the front end. After all date and time changes are free on xONEx tickets. This would cost you some $ on the non-RTW ticket, unless the issuing airline's ticket agent is sympathetic and does the front end change free of charge due to the scheduling issue of your UIO-GPS flight..

Well you have a plethora of options.

Just my opinion, but I think that they are actually doing you a favor. I would never book a flight in the morning to connect to a cruise that afternoon, especially in someplace that remote. If the plane is late or cancelled the cruise will leave without you. I would fly in the day before to ensure that you are there for the cruise. If there is some sort of interruption of your flight the day before you will still have options to make the cruise.