Please help me interpret these QF fare change rules

[sudoer]

Hi all,

I'm hoping someone can help me interpret these fare rules I've sourced from ExpertFlyer, but first some context:

I want to book a return CMB-SYD fare, outbound Jan 2019 and inbound Nov 2019. This falls within the 12 month maximum stay rule, but of course I can't yet book the return flight in Nov 2019 as it's too far in the future. My intention is to book now using a dummy return date to secure the desired outbound date (peak high season). Then, when availability for late 2019 opens up, I would pay the change fee to move the return date to Nov 2019.

Please see relevant rules extracts for my questions below..

ADVANCE RESERVATIONS/TICKETING             CONFIRMED RESERVATIONS FOR ALL SECTORS ARE REQUIRED AT
                                           LEAST 50 DAYS BEFORE DEPARTURE.

SALES RESTRICTIONS                         FOOTNOTE RULE
                                           TICKETS MUST BE ISSUED ON/BEFORE 06MAR18.
 
PENALTIES                                  CHANGES
 
                                             ANY TIME
                                               CHARGE LKR 7500 FOR REISSUE/REVALIDATION.
                                         
                                           ANY TIME
                                               CHARGE LKR 18500 FOR NO-SHOW.
                                                 NOTE - TEXT BELOW NOT VALIDATED FOR AUTOPRICING.
                                                  UPGRADE REISSUE FEE - IF UPGRADE PERMITTED BELOW
                                                  CHARGE APPLICABLE REROUTING/REISSUE FEE ABOVE.
                                                  ---
                                                  CHANGE FEE
                                                  MANUAL TICKET REISSUE - THE FEE MUST BE COLLECTED
                                                  VIA EMD-S USING RFIC CODE D AND RFISC CODE 98I.
                                                  AUTOMATED TICKET REISSUE - THE CHANGE FEE WILL BE
                                                  AUTOMATICALLY PROCESSED BY THE GDS SYSTEM.
                                                  ---
                                                  LOCAL REISSUE/SERVICE FEES MAY APPLY.
                                                  ---
                                                  INVOLUNTARY REBOOKING/REVALIDATION AND REROUTING/
                                                  REISSUE PERMITTED IN THE EVENT OF CERTIFIED DEATH
                                                  OR FOR OPERATIONAL REASONS AS PROVIDED IN PAT
                                                  GENERAL RULES

VOLUNTARY CHANGES                          IN THE EVENT OF CHANGES TO TICKETED FLIGHTS
                                           BEFORE DEPARTURE OF JOURNEY AND WITHIN TICKET VALIDITY
                                           CERTAIN DOMESTIC REISSUE PROVISIONS MAY BE OVERRIDDEN
                                           BY THOSE OF QF INTERNATIONAL FARES
                                           1 CHANGE PERMITTED - CHARGE LKR 7500 FOR REISSUE OR
                                           HIGHEST FEE OF ALL CHANGED FARE COMPONENTS - DISCOUNTS
                                           APPLY - NO FEE FOR INFANTS W/O SEAT AND
                                             REPRICE USING FARES IN EFFECT WHEN TKT WAS ISSUED
                                             PROVIDED ALL OF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS ARE MET-
                                             1. NO CHANGE TO FARE BREAKS
                                             2. QF SAME FARE CLASS FARES GOVERNED BY SAME RULE
                                             IS USED
                                             3. PUBLIC FARES ARE USED IF TICKETED FARE IS IN
                                             PUBLIC TARIFF. PRIVATE FARES ARE USED IF TICKETED
                                             FARE IS IN PRIVATE TARIFF
                                             4. ALL RULE AND BOOKING CODE PROVISIONS ARE MET
                                             5. ADV RES IS MEASURED FROM NEW TKT ISSUE DATE IF
                                             CURRENT FARES/FROM PREVIOUS TKT ISSUE DATE IF
                                             HISTORICAL FARES TO DEPARTURE OF PRICING UNIT
                                             OR -
                                             REPRICE USING FARES IN EFFECT TODAY
                                             PROVIDED ALL OF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS ARE MET-
                                             1. QF FARES ARE USED
                                             2. PUBLIC FARES ARE USED IF TICKETED FARE IS IN
                                             PUBLIC TARIFF. PRIVATE FARES ARE USED IF TICKETED
                                             FARE IS IN PRIVATE TARIFF
                                             3. NEW TKT HAS EQUAL OR HIGHER VALUE THAN PREVIOUS
                                             TKT
                                             4. ADV RES IS MEASURED FROM NEW TKT ISSUE DATE IF
                                             CURRENT FARES/FROM PREVIOUS TKT ISSUE DATE IF
                                             HISTORICAL FARES TO DEPARTURE OF PRICING UNIT
                                           REFUND VIA ORIGINAL FORM OF PAYMENT
                                           ENDORSEMENT BOX - HIGHER NON-REF AMT AND NEW
                                           ENDORSEMENTS.
                                           OR -
                                           AFTER DEPARTURE OF JOURNEY AND WITHIN TICKET VALIDITY
                                           CERTAIN DOMESTIC REISSUE PROVISIONS MAY BE OVERRIDDEN
                                           BY THOSE OF QF INTERNATIONAL FARES
                                           1 CHANGE PERMITTED - CHARGE LKR 7500 FOR REISSUE OR
                                           HIGHEST FEE OF ALL CHANGED FARE COMPONENTS - DISCOUNTS
                                           APPLY - NO FEE FOR INFANTS W/O SEAT AND
                                             REPRICE USING FARES IN EFFECT WHEN TKT WAS ISSUED
                                             PROVIDED ALL OF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS ARE MET-
                                             1. NO CHANGE TO FARE BREAKS
                                             2. FULLY FLOWN FARE NOT REPRICED TO FURTHER POINT
                                             3. QF SAME FARE CLASS FARES GOVERNED BY SAME RULE
                                             IS USED
                                             4. PUBLIC FARES ARE USED IF TICKETED FARE IS IN
                                             PUBLIC TARIFF. PRIVATE FARES ARE USED IF TICKETED
                                             FARE IS IN PRIVATE TARIFF
                                             5. ALL RULE AND BOOKING CODE PROVISIONS ARE MET
                                             6. ADV RES IS MEASURED FROM NEW TKT ISSUE DATE IF
                                             CURRENT FARES/FROM PREVIOUS TKT ISSUE DATE IF
                                             HISTORICAL FARES TO DEPARTURE OF PRICING UNIT
                                             OR -
                                             REPRICE USING FARES IN EFFECT WHEN TKT WAS ISSUED
                                             PROVIDED ALL OF THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS ARE MET-
                                             1. FULLY FLOWN FARE NOT REPRICED TO FURTHER POINT
                                             2. QF FARES ARE USED
                                             3. PUBLIC FARES ARE USED IF TICKETED FARE IS IN
                                             PUBLIC TARIFF. PRIVATE FARES ARE USED IF TICKETED
                                             FARE IS IN PRIVATE TARIFF
                                             4. NEW TKT HAS EQUAL OR HIGHER VALUE THAN PREVIOUS
                                             TKT
                                             5. ALL RULE AND BOOKING CODE PROVISIONS ARE MET
                                             6. ADV RES IS MEASURED FROM NEW TKT ISSUE DATE IF
                                             CURRENT FARES/FROM PREVIOUS TKT ISSUE DATE IF
                                             HISTORICAL FARES TO DEPARTURE OF PRICING UNIT
                                           REFUND VIA ORIGINAL FORM OF PAYMENT
                                           ENDORSEMENT BOX - HIGHER NON-REF AMT AND NEW
                                           ENDORSEMENTS.

I have two questions:

1. Does the sales restriction (tickets must be issued by 06 Mar 18) also apply to ticket reissues? or can a ticket be reissued after this date?

2. Assuming I change my return flight at least 50 days prior to departure of first sector, does everything else look OK? The voluntary changes section is particularly confusing..

Forever grateful for any help/advice!!!

 

[sudoer]

Bumping this up to the top - hoping someone can help me out

 

[RooFlyer]

I'll help by bumping the thread again, but would venture one way to interpret the rules is to the greater advantage to the airline and most restrictive to the pax - that how it works in most cases.

Could you call their office in Melbourne?

Melbourne City Office
SriLankan Airlines Ltd. C/o. Sri Lankan Aviation Group Pty Ltd,
Suite 546, 1 Queens Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.
Toll-free : 1 300 853 081

Telephone : +61384004353
Fax : +61398636228
Email : [email protected]
Operating Hours : Monday to Friday (09:00 to 17:00)
        All operating hours are indicated in AEST

 

[sudoer]

I'll help by bumping the thread again, but would venture one way to interpret the rules is to the greater advantage to the airline and most restrictive to the pax - that how it works in most cases.

Could you call their office in Melbourne?

Thanks for the input RooFlyer.

It's actually an ex-CMB Qantas fare which doesn't show up on the Qantas website but is validated on ITA Matrix and EF. I'm just waiting for some status credits to post which will see me reach WP, then I'm going to do battle with the call centre.

I could go through a TA but I don't know any particularly good ones, and I'm assuming they'll charge a not-insignificant change fee on top of Qantas' when that time comes.

 

[RooFlyer]

Good strategy. A 'good' TA, if you get them to book the initial fare shouldn't charge you for changing a booking, although if you are new to them, they might. If my TA charged me for every change I made, they could retire!

 

[madrooster]

I have ticketed a few of these ex-CMB QF fares and have partially flown one myself. If you need one ticketed, please feel free to PM me.

1. Does the sales restriction (tickets must be issued by 06 Mar 18) also apply to ticket reissues? or can a ticket be reissued after this date?

The ticket by date is for the initial ticket only. You will be able to reissue the ticket as necessary at a future date.

Once your return date comes into system range (using 15 NOV 2019 as an example here) you have two options:

1. Reissue the ticket as soon as the desired date is within system range (this would be late December 2018). This will mean that you will not have flown the ticket yet (fully unused ticket) and thus when you reissue the ticket, you will be subject to that day's prevailing prices, taxes and exchange rate.

If the fare has gone up or the exchange rate has shot itself, then this will cost you more.

The change fee will apply.

2. Reissue the ticket after the outbound has been flown (this would be in late January 2019). This will mean that the historical fare and exchange rate will apply, but that day's prevailing taxes will apply.

The change fee will apply as per option 1.

Given that November isn't a peak season, you can probably afford to do option 2 with ease and save some money.

2. Assuming I change my return flight at least 50 days prior to departure of first sector, does everything else look OK? The voluntary changes section is particularly confusing..

Yes, that's fine.

For some reason your copy of the fare rules state 1 change only. My version has no such restriction...

 

[sudoer]

Thanks so much for the very helpful reply madrooster. I'll firm up dates and send you a PM over the next couple of weeks!

 

[ftm]

When the inbound date is outside system range most airlines will allow the reissue without charge, as long as the same booking class is available. So the reissue rules aren't relevant. Each airline is different in how they want this done though, with some needing you to nominate a date range, others don't care.