FWIW BA at LAX reissued an ex-CAI OWE today with no problem. The lady who helped me said they didn't like them because they didn't understand them well enough, which is likely true at any ATO. The ATO is geared toward helping travelers with much simpler problems.

She wondered if I'd been given an add/collect price (besides the $75). I hadn't asked anyone to run it by the rate desk, thinking they'd not be able to come up with a number without the original coupons in hand, but given the original itin and the new one, they *should* have been able to calculate the taxes and fees that should have been charged originally, and those now due, and told me the difference.

The changes were relatively simple, replacing 7 NA segments with 7 others. I have no idea if there's any variation in airline-collected fees in the U.S. or Canada, but the question probably wasn't explored further.

The process took a little over an hour. It's paced by the number of other pax showing up at the counter demanding attention, and I personally have no problem with that.

Incidentally, she left me with one minor issue - the tickets were originally sold on 9 July for travel beginning 4 August, so the tickets are valid through 3 August 2004, but she entered the 9 July date as "not valid after". The last couple of coupons are for flights at the beginning of August, so the problem was obvious. When I pointed it out, she put it aside as a non-issue, and I didn't have the heart to whimper about it. Hopefully there's not a computer somewhere waiting to pounce when I try to board a flight after 9 July.

I have had ONE4's re-issued twice by QF at LAX - same approach and attitude - to the point where on both occasions I got out of the $75 - once due to their ignorance/incompetence and once due to my arguing the point.