Rebooking hassles with JAL

[Batterytraveller]

I booked a good business class fare to Europe in July with JAL (through Chase ultimate rewards as I had some points to burn). I'm now on my second rebooking with JAL, first one was a simple schedule change, no worries there. Second one is because all they canned the melbourne flight . I've just spent a lovely 4 hours on the phone with a lovely guy from Chase travel, would guess he is in Malaysia or the Phillipines based on the accent. Couldn't be more helpful, lots of calls to the reservations desk at Japan airlines.

Basically the upshot is they are happy to rebook me in on any combination of QF, MH, BA or UL. But only in class I (or lower which means a downgrade)
UL is out because Sri Lanka seems days away from a coup - plenty of availability there. Unsurprisingly nothing is available on any of those other airlines in the discount business fare bucket.

I left it with Chase to see if JAL will allow booking in a higher class of service, MH even gets me back into the JAL system through KL, or they open up higher classes to me on JL52.
However I have fingers severely crossed that Japan will announce some form of reopening and this is what JAL are waiting for to put planes back into service between OZ and Japan.

Post automatically merged: May 10, 2022

Picked up in 1 ring, though.

 

[drron]

They are possibly waiting for the official announcement of tourism being allowed from early June.
Nothing works as it did pre Covid.

 

[Batterytraveller]

That's what I'm hoping.

Things are starting to go bad - I checked my booking and I've been ticketed on QF9 in W. If I have to be downgraded, and I do have to get there by a certain time, this is my least favoured option, QF1 would be much preferred. I did tell them this on the phone.

 

[Batterytraveller]

JAL have posted an update to their European routes page today.

https://www.jal.co.jp/jp/en/info/2022/other/220303/?m=important_notice

Looks like May 17th is the next update for the European schedules at least, If that had come out before I had called, I would have held off calling till then.

 

[Batterytraveller]

Expert flyer is showing our original flight operating with Y1 availability MEL NRT but J9 D9 C9 availability NRT to FRA. Something odd is going on.

Otherwise I found a route that looks like this with SYD CGK in Y but otherwise compliant with the rebooking rules.

 

[kelvedon]

JAL is not currently flying over Russia. Ex Japan it flies over Alaska and Greenland, and on the return It skirts south of Russia, effectively making the LHR trip around the world.

 

[Batterytraveller]

rebooked 4 days earlier than last flight but only 2 days before my original departure. I await my next change next week.