trying to change date on flight - US$300 charge?!?

[candyflip]

I should have known better and booked the ticket through my travel Agent, BUT, I booked my partner and I two x return tickets myself online, on USAir this morning for a flight we're doing San Fran/Vegas in July this year. Unfortunately, after I booked and paid, I realised I had booked the first flight for the 14th July, instead of the 17th July!! The USair website states that *any* changes to the booked ticket (even if within 5 minutes of booking it I guess) incur a US$150 per person booking fee (so we're looking at US$300 for my mistake, almost as much again as we're paying for the original Return flights!!)

My question: in your experience, is there any way around this outrageous fee?

I tried calling their USAir Support Centre in the States, and they were less than knowledgable, or helpful, in regards to that change (this is barely 20 minutes after I had booked and paid, for a flight that is still 5 MONTHS away!!). They confirmed I could change to the date I wanted, but it would indeed be US$150 x 2 to do the changes.

Any recourse?

Feeling very stupid...

jon

 

[MelUser]

Qantas charge similar fees for changing their flights when booked ex-USA. The cheaper the ticket the higher the change charge. The more expensive the ticket, the lower the change charge.

I know it's a bit late now, but it always pays to ask before booking what the change and cancellation charges are.

 

[NM]

Some airlines do offer a grace period for just the situation you describe where you made a mistake booking on-line. But if this airline does not offer such a grace period (sometimes its 1 hour, sometimes, 12 hours, sometimes 24 hours - varies wit airlines) then you really don't have any recourse.

Perhaps plan for a few extra days in Vegas? Or hope you have a very successful time in Las Vegas and win back the US$300 it costs to make the changes.

 

[canabear]

stay in Vegas longer. in my experience US$150 can get you a room at Bellagio for a night if you get the right discount code.

 

[candyflip]

stay in Vegas longer. in my experience US$150 can get you a room at Bellagio for a night if you get the right discount code.

Appreciate the thought, but we have a wedding in Sonoma, CA on the 16th!

dumb dumb dumb me.. I wish it wasn't my eyes going as I get older!

 

[Alanslegal]

Hmmmmm...you could always go to Vegas on the 14th, then purchase another return ticket to get you to SFO on the 16th for the wedding, then return back to Vegas on the 17th and continue on your journey then...

Beats letting the airline take $300 for simply changing your ticket; and then the view from the plane as your approach into LAS is quite surreal esp. at night time.

 

[serfty]

I have come across many reports of airline allowing such "Oops" changes within a small time frame. I would keep calling until you have finality.

Other than that; look to FlyerTalk USair forum. The answer may be there:

US Airways Dividend Miles - FlyerTalk Forums

In any case, the overriding factor in these situations is that the sooner you can enact the fixup the more chance you have.

 

[candyflip]

I have come across many reports of airline allowing such "Oops" changes within a small time frame. I would keep calling until you have finality.

Other than that; look to FlyerTalk USair forum. The answer may be there:

xx_xx_xx_xx_xx_xx

In any case, the overriding factor in these situations is that the sooner you can enact the fixup the more chance you have.

cheers - I checked the link, but the consesus seems to be "we got reamed by these charges" and there's bugger all they can do about it.

Stupid...Lesson learned.

 

[candyflip]

Had a new thought this morning. Can't we just book new one-way flights on the 17th, and use the return journey from the old tickets, to save the US$300 change fee? New one-way tickets will be cheaper than that you see...

Only problem is, the conditions that USAir states:

Terms and conditions

• Ticket is non-transferable.
• Ticket is non-refundable.
• Unused tickets must be cancelled by midnight on the date of departure to retain value.
• Any change to this reservation (including flight, dates, or cities) is subject to a $150.00 change fee per passenger. The new itinerary will be priced at the lowest available published fare at the time of change, which may result in a fare increase.
• Ticket expires one year from original date of issue. Unflown value expires one year from original date of issue.
• Please cancel your reservation if there is a change in your travel plans. Failure to cancel a confirmed booking will result in the automatic cancellation of your entire itinerary.

Hmmm - are we covered? Can we fly *just* the second return leg from LV to SFO on the old tickets and forfeit the 1st leg?

 

[serfty]

... Can we fly *just* the second return leg from LV to SFO on the old tickets and forfeit the 1st leg?

No! If you fail to fly any particular segment of a booking, all remaining segments are normally cancelled.

 

[candyflip]

Would you believe it - the airline has re-scheduled the outward bound flight for 2 hours earlier, so we *may* be able to wiggle out of this yet.

What decent excuses could I use to get US Airways to perhaps credit this whole itinerary, based on them rubbing out the 3:40pm flight and reaplcing it with one at 1pm instead?

We already booked another (correct) fare on United, so if I can push them to credit the whole itinerary, it would be a great success!

 

[JohnK]

What decent excuses could I use to get US Airways to perhaps credit this whole itinerary, based on them rubbing out the 3:40pm flight and reaplcing it with one at 1pm instead?

In my opinion 2:40 hours is a significant change to warrant a refund. You could think up any number of valid excuses why you cannot make the earlier rescheduled flight. Would mentioning that you are likely to misconnect with the rescheduled flight be a reasonable excuse?

 

[candyflip]

In my opinion 2:40 hours is a significant change to warrant a refund. You could think up any number of valid excuses why you cannot make the earlier rescheduled flight. Would mentioning that you are likely to misconnect with the rescheduled flight be a reasonable excuse?

Seems reasonable to me, but how do I word it? Saying "so the new flight times don't work, would you please give us a refund" seems somehow, I dunno, desperate? They are under no compunction, so I understand, to do anything but say "bad luck, sorry" so I wanna make a decent fist of it.

 

[MJH]

Perhaps suggest that the changed flight will mean you will miss an appintment or meeting with someone.
A similar thing happened to me years ago when I was trying to fly from Barcelona to Pamplona during the running of the bulls. The direct flights cost a fortune as there was only one flight on a smallish plane each day. I was therefore flying to San Sebastian and getting a bus for 2+ hours.
The airline called me a couple of weeks out and told me my flight was pushed back 1 hour and luckily I thought quickly and told them I would miss a friend picking me up. I suggested maybe the direct flight that would still get me there about the same time. She went away and checked and came back and tranfered all 3 of us that were travelling. The option we wanted in the first place and saved $$$$$

 

[JohnK]

Seems reasonable to me, but how do I word it? Saying "so the new flight times don't work, would you please give us a refund" seems somehow, I dunno, desperate? They are under no compunction, so I understand, to do anything but say "bad luck, sorry" so I wanna make a decent fist of it.

I don't think you will sound desperate if you say that you have a non-refundable booking with XYZ airlines due to arrive at 1:30pm and you will need to find another flight at ~3:40pm as you have a wedding, or another appointment, to attend at the destination. It happens with business people everyday so I can't see why I can't with holiday travellers.

I know this is getting slightly off topic but I had a similar issue with Qantas a couple of years ago where they put the flight back 45 minutes. I was on BNE-BKQ-LRE flight with a bus back to BCI (Barcaldine) that was due to leave ~30 minutes (I would need to check the exact times) after the new arrival. The original arrival into LRE (Longreach) would have given me a little time to look around the museum before getting on the bus.

They ended up changing the booking to BNE-BKQ,BCI-LRE-BNE at no charge although I should have received some refund (which Qantas later rejected) and I missed out on 10 SCs as well. The bus route is LRE-BKQ-BCI so I had a couple of hours to look around in BKQ (Blackall) before heading off to BCI for the night.

 

[candyflip]

Well, to end this thread's story, after many months, I finally was able to organise a refund with US Airways this morning by phone with the US based Call Centre. It was relatively painless, and when it became obvious that the 3 hour time change involved in the reschedule significantly inconvenienced us, and that there was no earlier or later US Air flight that could satisfy our itinerary, the Manager was only too happy to do so.

So, for those reading this sometime in the future, perhaps going through a similar situation of booking the wrong tickets for yourselves online with a budget non-refundable fare: be patient. You may just be lucky enough to have such a schedule change made for you by the airline, and a full refund as a result could be your's.

Now: what to spend the US$300 on?....

thanks all for your suggestions and help

 

[mysavings789]

....

Now: what to spend the US$300 on?....

thanks all for your suggestions and help

Congratulations Candyflip! after almost 4 months of waiting and follow up...you got your US$300 back!

 

[candyflip]

Postscript : full refund credited to our C/card account yesterday.

Credit where it's due - US Airways appear to have really lifted their Customer Service game recently, after years of bad press.

thanks all...