Hi.

This is my first post here

I have booked a one-way plane ticket for mid-July, for an 8 AM flight. However, due to a changed meeting schedule, I would prefer to fly later in the day. There are 2 more flights in the afternoon that would work much better for me. I have already called the travel agent (Expedia) and they wanted a change fee almost as much as the ticket originally cost. I need help on how to proceed.

Should I call the airline now?

Should I call the airline that morning and ask to change/be bumped?

Should I just show up for the later flight and claim I was delayed in traffic? (probably not, but just asking LOL)

Or should I just suck it up and go for the earlier flight?

I don't mind paying a reasonable fee, but if I have to basically pay for the ticket again, then I'll just go on my original flight and deal with it.

If it matters, it's Air Canada flight 8109 from Toronto to Houston.

Thanks in advance for the advice.

Welcome to Flyer Talk!

The change fee is unavoidable unless you change within 24 hours of your tix purchase.. or one of you flight segments is cancelled..

I would personally make the change and pay the change fee as soon as you decide and not wait.. unless you aren't 100% sure.

If I were you, I would look closer to the fare rules in the original Expedia booking then proceed from there. Chances are the change fee is here to stay.

Also try to look into our Online Travel Booking and Bidding Agencies Forum and see how others handle similar situations. Here's one thread that may give you some ideas:

Ridiculous wait time to change tickets on Expedia

Welcome to FT!

Also,the next time never book tickets on a 3rd party website like Expedia/Travelocity. Their cust service sucks and is a pain in the neck. Book directly on the airline's website. the best site to compare fares is in my opinion Kayak.com as it displays the fare and then connects you to the respective airline's website . Win win for all.

Expedia is one of the most horrible out there. Their cust service reps are in a far away land and have no clue whatsoever. I am still amazed that these websites are still in business.

I'd suck it up and take the earlier flight. The change fee is unavoidable and given how high loads have been all summer, I'd not count on a longer flight like YYZ-IAH to have empty seats if you "miss" your scheduled flight and want to hop on the later flight. Plus, with weather being as severe as it has been, especially in/around Houston, and it being so early in the storm season, I'd want to get into that airport as early in the day as I could, before the persistent daily delays start stacking up. I didn't check AC website to see what the change fee is, but most airlines charge $100-150 plus the fare difference, which I don't consider to be in the "reasonable" category.

All right, thanks for the advice, everyone.

Just wondering, what would happen if I missed my flight and showed up at the airport for a later flight? Would they put me on standby for the next flight, or would I have to buy a brand new ticket at the walk-up rate?

I believe that depends on the airline and the fare class. For cheaper, more restricted economy class tickets, if you are late, you will probably wind up with a no-show or re-booking fee at the least. Since it sounds like the change fee on the ticket you have is rather large, that is probably the minimum of what they would charge you if you were to show up late to the airport. In the worst case scenario (the most heavily discounted tickets or ones from budget carriers), you forfeit the entire ticket and you must buy a new ticket at that day's price.

That's why if you can afford it and you are not 100% sure of your plans, it is best to book directly with the airline and pay for a higher fare class giving you more flexibility. It is always a good idea to check the fare rules for the airline.

deleted....misread..

cbn welcome to FlyerTalk! Is this flight operated by Air Canada or Continental?

Do you have elite frequent flyer status on AirCanada, Continental or United?

What are the fare rules for the specific ticket you purchased and what are Expedia's T&C for the ticket? Chances are that it is non-refundable/changeable and has either a change fee associated with the fare basis or with Expedia's t&c or with both. If so, you are likely stuck or stuck spending the extra money on the change time in Houston.

You can try calling the carrier to see what they can do and what they might charge. But, it's a shot in the dark.

I would not wait though. Later flights might fill up and you might find unavailability or only extremely expensive fares.

After-the-fact advice isn't helpful here, but to avoid this in the future: 1) never use third party booking sites such as Expedia. They simply add a layer of fees and problems; and 2) if your plans are changeable, make sure you book changeable fares (or be prepared to eat change fees).

If you need to be there, just suck it up and go with the original ticket. There are too many ideas you are floating in your mind that might/will back fire; what will be the consequence to your business/career?

AC is the only one that flies YYZ IAH non-stop; CO and UA code share it.

Whichever ticket stock it is with you are still dealing with Expedia, they sold you the ticket.