Separate tickets: SK FRA-CPH after TATL
 

I have a TATL trip in Y coming up soon with LH/AC from BCN via FRA (no refund, no rebooking). Due to changed plans, I need to go to CPH instead of BCN on the way home, so I'm planning to drop the last leg and switch it out with a separate SAS ticket from FRA to CPH (I know, there's a risk of a fare recalculation by LH/AC, but I'm willing to take the risk).

I'll arrive in FRA on Mon, Feb 24 at 07:25 with AC 874 from YUL. I'm currently planning to get a SAS Youth Go ticket for the next SAS flight to CPH (SK 640 departing at 09:30) leaving 2:05h for the layover. The alternative would be a longer layover of 8:35h (SK 676 departing at 16:00).

So, questions:

• Do you think this is enough time? I have an EU passport, in case that makes a difference for Schengen entry in FRA,
• Do you think I'll be able to check a bag in YUL through to CPH? If so, I'd get a Go Smart ticket instead of Go Light, but I'll be traveling with a small luggage item only, so I could also make it without.
• Any experiences with rebooking SAS Youth tickets in these circumstances?
  • Rebooking costs 45€ + fare recalc: What if there's no more availability for Youth tickets, will I have to/be able to rebook to a "normal" fare?
  • If the AC flight is heavily delayed and still in the air when the SK flight departs, can I rebook after the flight has left?

I think this tread belong in the LH fora as your first leg is on LH/AC and your are changing in FRA.

• Regarding the youth ticket rebooking. I don't have any experience with the youth ticket, but if you book through the SK website or SK customer service, they are normally large with changing the ticket to something more expensive.
• Regarding the rebooking incase of inbound delay it might be a problem since you are flying on 2 different tickets and plan to ditch the last leg of your original ticket (at least if you understand your flight path correct as being BCN-FRA-TATL). You won't be able to do the rebooking your self. You have to go to the transfer center once you arrive. On the cheap tickets the airlines are not always willing to do a free rebooking if you arrive on a late inbound on another ticket, but since all airlines in this case is *A, you might find a TA in the FRA transfer center who can help you.

You won't be able to check you luggage through to CPH. At least it's very very unlikely.

2h should be fine at FRA for someone with a Schengen passport. But don't expect to be revoked if something goes wrong.

0 Chance! Because, then you notify the AC agent, you will skip the last leg and replace it with a different one. Don't even try that. You can hope for a short checking of the bags to FRA. But there YMMV.

If the AC flight is very heavily delayed (or even canceled!), such that you wouldn't be able to make your connection in FRA, you may end up getting rerouted to BCN at YUL already (i.e., not through FRA). In that case you may be able to influence the routing, so it makes sense to do some research on what options are available, and propose them to the handling agent at YUL. Also, if this scenario does materialize, you probably will have time to look through the options while waiting in YUL, but it's nevertheless something to keep in mind.

You could also try to buy a plus ticket for the later flight and try to walk up to the earlier one in case you are not delayed. If the AC flight is heavily delayed or canceled and you get rebooked or have found other options you can still cancel the plus ticket for a refund.

Thanks for the feedback so far. To clarify: Being rerouted to BCN isn't a big concern for me, because the layover in FRA on the original connection to BCN is immense (09:30h), so I'm almost certain that either the flight is cancelled or I'm going to FRA first. In any case, if that happens, I'll have to think on my feet anyways.

But generally, what I'm getting from you people is:

• This is generally doable, but for sure I shouldn't try checking in my luggage in YUL (short-checking to FRA ain't helping either, cause rechecking & clearing security cuts dangerously into the 2:05h in FRA)
• I checked Plus tickets, but they are prohibitively expensive on that day. It got me thinking though: I could buy a (Youth) Go ticket for the later flight, then Plusgrade bid on it, then try getting on the earlier connection if I arrive in time. Any objections to that?

Otherwise, I'm still interested if anyone has experience with rebooking Go tickets after the plane left and rebooking Go Youth fares generally.

I'm not sure if you realize that if the AC flight is cancelled, or if something else happens such as an overbooking and you are denied boarding, they could very well put you on a totally different flight, such as the 20:15 to MUC, or the 19:25 to BRU, or the 20:45 to GVA with connections onward to BCN.

Yeah, I get that. I just can't really do anything about that – if it happens, it happens. Then I can still try to find my way from MUC/BRU/GVA to CPH instead of going to BCN first. Probably there'd even be SAS Youth fare availability on at least one of the flights from MUC/BRU/GVA to CPH, so I'd try to negotiate myself onto the fitting connection.

My assessment, though, is that this is rather unlikely: AC 874 hasn't been canceled once in the past 2 months and I'm not 100% sure about overbooking, but I don't think I'd get bumped as *G especially when I see to it to check in early. What's more likely is that it leaves YUL with a delay. But that's what I meant above, even if the flight is heavily delayed at take-off, nobody would even start thinking about rebooking me on another flight from YUL, since I'd have all the time in the world in FRA anyways. So, I feel it's reasonable to assume, I will arrive in FRA at some point during the day… the question is merely when ;)

This is full of risks and seems like a terrible idea to me. AC won’t check you through to anywhere but BCN, and they won’t short check you. If you don’t take the flight to BCN your return to Canada will auto cancel. And if you don’t get to your CPH on time, that return flight will be cancelled too. All around, a bad idea.

I've yet to see people succeed getting on an earlier SK flight ex-Germany, even in Plus.
As for rebooking go youth, you can read the fare rules. In my experience it's been cheaper to buy a new ticket and get the taxes (not surcharges) refunded. That's often 20-30 of a 50-60€ ticket you can get back, even as a no show.

Terrible idea or not, there ain't no return flight to cancel for AC, because this is the return flight back from Canada to Europe.

Ah, good to know, thanks!

OK, but the rest still applies.

SK do not cancel return flights if you don't make the outbound. Don't know about AC. Never used them so far.

When you check the SK web site, please be aware that many of the flights between CPH-FRA is actually LH code share flights. The PLUS prices on the code shares are often much higher than on the SK flights. For GO, the LH code share flights are often more expensive too, but not as much as on PLUS.

GO tickets can't be changed after takeoff, and there is a change fee of around USD $100 if you change them before check-in closes. I don't think Youth changes this.
GO tickets are none refundable too. I don't think Youth changes this either.

Since this is a return flight, and if you travel with carry on only, you could chance it and book a GO Youth flight FRA-CPH with 2 hour connection time. If you miss the connection, try go to the transfer desk and if they won't help you buy a new ticket to CPH on the next flight. Both LH and SK have multiple daily flights direct between FRA and CPH.

2 hours is plenty in FRA when you have carry on only. When I traveled between CPH-RUH I usually did the transfer in 30-60 min.