Are multiple routing changes possible w/ single reissue fee on an e-ticket?
 

I've searched the various threads, and I'm still unclear as to how the ticket reissuance fee works for e-tickets. Once I purchase my e-ticket, I assume the ticket "issues," right (i.e., "issues" in a metaphysical sense)? If I change my routing a few times leading up to departure, do I need to pay a $125 re-routing fee every time I do so, or do I just pay a single $125 re-routing charge prior to departure?

Second question: If I go with a paper ticket and want to make a routing changes (say, to snag hard-to-find availability on a segment that's NOT part of my current routing), can I actually do that over the phone (i.e., in real time), or do I need first to go down to the AA ticketing office, then turn in my old paper tickets, and then hope that the availability is still there?

Thanks very much.

Hi jgold!

You need to pay the US$125 every time you re-issue the ticket. So if you make multiple routing changes, then change the dates and carriers, change the routing again etc. and after you have actually done all of this you tell your TA to re-issue the ticket, then you will only pay US$125. This is the same for etix and paper tickets.

So with the example you give with your paper ticket. You can change your reservation over the phone so you have the seat. But prior to flying you need to get the ticket re-issued.

Thank you. Here's why I continue to be confused (there are many reasons, but here's the main one): I just spoke with the RTW desk, and this is how they described the process for e-tickets vs. paper tickets.

E-tickets: Each and every routing change results in a $125 fee and is effective instantly. That is, the ticket for the new segment "reissues" with each change, and I would receive a new ticket number for that segment on the spot.

Paper tickets: I receive a new ticket number for a new segment following a re-routing only when I physically turn in the paper ticket. Therefore, I can make multiple routing changes to a paper ticket and pay only a SINGLE $125 fee if I wait until all my routing changes are complete before I physically turn in my paper tickets and get new ones. But, the catch is that any seat I am holding on a "new" segment is really only held temporarily, because I don't have an actual ticket number associated with that new segment (which doesn't happen until I get the new paper ticket). Accordingly, a foreign carrier (say, CX) could cancel my seat on their carrier if I wait too long to reissue my ticket. Accordingly, while I can book a new paper ticket routing over the phone, if I want to be sure I'm holding that seat, I need to go in to an AA office and physically turn in the ticket (or mail it in), pay the $125 fee, and potentially pay a $125 fee again if I later make another routing change.

To be clear, none of this is based on personal experience, just what I've been told be the AA RTW desk. I also think this is consistent with what DownUnderFlyer wrote above, although it's a bit of an elaboration on it. Does my description sound correct?

Thanks.

You can change multiple segments for a single fee -- and the fee is USD 125 plus whatever additional change fee the airline you are using has (this varies from zero to another USD 100). All of the changes have to be at the same time. Most airlines won't let you book segments and not reissue the ticket for a long time any more -- in the past it was possible to not reissue for weeks or even months. Now a few hours is more typical, and sometimes not even that. So you do have to plan your changes out and make them all at once, or be hit by multiple change fees. Personally I like this change in airline policy, it cuts down on people holding dozens of seats that they don't intend to fly, and makes A/D inventory much more available on certain routes and dates. Yes, there was tremendous abuse by a few individuals in the past, which led to this change in policy. I think it was absurd to let someone book the same flight for every day for a month, when they can only fly 1 of those 30 segments -- but that was allowed, and that is what some people did. No longer.

You pay the fee every time the ticket is reissued. In other words, every time the routing changes are made firm, final, and the airline actually issues another ticekt to replace your existing one.

Usually, yes. You can phone the AA ATW desk, request the changes, make the new bookings, and tell them where you will be doing the reisssue. However, for you to hand over your old paper ticket, and receive the new one (or not, as the new one could be an eTicket) you need to go to a place where this type of transaction is possible.

Thanks to all for the helpful replies.

Still some confusion between reservations and tickets I think. If you're going to make lots of changes then the best way to get the ticket done is to confirm the first segment (strictly up to the first international segment) and then make all the other segments open-date.

You can then get as many separate reservations as you like for the individual segments that you actually want. When you make the reservation you simply tell them the number of the ticket you are going to use. The ticket doesn't have to have that segment routing on it at this point - just tell them that you will reroute the ticket nearer the time when you have managed to lock down all the flights. I have done this multiple times (albeit always with paper tickets, which I very much prefer) and never had significant problems.

For example, I might initially ticket a DONE3 as CAI-xLHR-HKG-SFO-xLHR-CAI with only the first two segments dated because they were the only ones that I knew I actually wanted to fly. Then I would get separate reservations for the segments that I actually wanted to fly after HKG, getting the ticket number entered in the reservation. Generally I would book the segments directly with the airline flying them, so I would then end up with, say, a CX reservation for HKG-NRT-HKG-DPS-HKG-JFK, an AA reservation for JFK-DFW-ANC-DFW-ORD-SJU-LAX, and a BA reservation for LAX-xLHR-IST-LHR-CAI.

When I went to HKG to get the NRT flight I would simply go a couple of hours early and get them to do a single reissue of the ticket so that it now had the new routing:
HKG-NRT-HKG-DPS-HKG-JFK-DFW-xANC-DFW-ORD-SJU-LAX-xLHR-IST-LHR-CAI
but with all the segments open dated (just because it makes the job of the person doing the reissue hugely easier). I'd wait in The Wing while this was being done. An hour later the new ticket would arrive and I'd be good to go.

This has worked well for me many times.

Good point. The other thing to consider is the change in taxes and fees. You add segments or the fuel fines have gone up, or you fly through Heathrow you might have to pay a lot more than USD 125.

Thanks for providing this very helpful info. ^

In order to book the segments, can you just call your local reservations number for the carrier concerned? Do some airlines charge for this? If so, is it simply a case of giving them your card number?

TIA.

I should say that I haven't done this for over a year now, so things may have changed, but generally I would call the RTW desk for AA, BA general reservations, and Cathay's Marco Polo Club lines for the reservations; sometimes I get CX to do the BA reservations just because I was Diamond with them and that meant they would do rather more for me than for a non-status person. There's no charge (that's what the ticket collects).

I simply rerouted my itinerary with the AA ATW desk which organised my itinerary in the first place - even when the bits I wanted to reroute weren't AA segments. I was allowed to hold the new flights without reissuing for as long as I wanted (these include QF, CX and JL segments), and I only did the reissuing when I arrived at NRT where I started my ticket; I think this could be because my itinerary was no longer eticketable.

BTW no $125 fee if reissued before departure if you're originating from TC2/3. Whether the tariffs desk you're dealing with knows this rule or not is another story... I had to make a few calls to AA NRT before I got someone who knew what he was doing and removed the fee. I think the US tariffs desk also makes this mistake quite a bit.

This is all very helpful, albeit a little bewildering. I guess there's two issues for me--the benefits of paper vs. e-tickets, and then how best to make use of either. My understanding w/r/t e-tickets is that any routing change is instantaneous, and that a $125 fee is charged as soon as the routing change is completed. The benefit of that is that I have a confirmed seat on my new flight.

For paper tickets, the way it was explained to me (although maybe I misunderstood) is that although I can reserve a seat on a new segment that's not part of my original routing, that seat is not really confirmed until a new ticket has been reissued for that segment, at which point I am charged the $125 fee. Because I am only charged the $125 fee when I actually perform the reissue, I can make multiple routing changes up to that point, although I may be at risk of losing my seat on the new routing prior to the actual reissuance.

Is that correct?

Just two other questions for christep: First, why do you leave all your segments open-dated? I had thought that there was no (or little) benefit to this--since date/time/carrier changes are free, and you're more protected with a particular confirmed seat should the carrier discontinue the route. You cited the benefit of making it easier for the person doing the reissue if the segments are open-dated, but does this outweigh the other factor? (Also, just as a separate question, am I not able to open-date e-tickets? When I reserved my e-ticket the other day, the person at the RTW desk said I needed to have a date and flight for each segment (though not a seat number).)

Second, you mentioned booking your intermediate segments directly with the operating airline--what is the benefit of that (as compared to, say, booking the entire re-route with the AA RTW desk, even with respect to, e.g., CX or JL flights)? If I want to waitlist a particular flight, am I better off doing that with the operating airline? Does this process differ for e- vs. paper-tickets?

In my case, I actually don't think I'm going to be making very many changes at all, but I like the idea of being able to make changes over the phone without having to spend three extra hours in a foreign airport, in the event that I do decide to make routing changes. I guess I'm still trying to assess the pros and cons of e-tickets vs. paper ones.

Thanks again, and sorry if these are elementary questions.

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Just to be very clear on this point: the $125 re-issue fee applies only after you've flown the first segment of the ticket. If you make routing changes before you ever use the ticket, you will have to get a new ticket. In other words, your original ticket will be canceled, and a completely new one will be issued. This is different from a re-issue, which modifies an existing ticket. Note that if you originate in the US there is a 10% cancelation fee involved.

Thank you. However, this actually conflicts with everything I've been told by the RTW desk. My understanding is that what you're saying applies only if I change the first flight. I've been told that I can make routing changes to later segments, and that will result in a reissuance fee, but would not cancel the ticket. Also what you're saying doesn't quite fit with the rules:

If what you are saying were correct, the "prior to departure" section under "Rebooking/Rerouting" would be surplusage, in light of the "prior to departure" section under "Cancellations and Refunds." Right?