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Saving Money on Airline Change Fees

As airlines continue to look for new ways to generate revenue, the traveler is at their mercy.  What used to be free isn’t any longer and what wasn’t free has become more expensive.  Checked luggage, change fees, preferred seat charges—all these can quickly add up and affect your travel budget.  

This month, we’ll focus on change fees.  Most airlines will charge a passenger a fee when changes to an itinerary occur.  So if you bought a ticket but need to change your plans, you will pay a fee, typically $150 (and sometimes even more if the flight you want is now more expensive).

You can, though, avoid these extra costs if you're flying on the same day as your original itinerary.  Here are some choices:

Standby – If the airline has an available seat on another flight that same day, you can take it -- without charge.  Yes, it can be a bit nerve-racking, as some gate agents seem to relish keeping you in suspense. But once all passengers holding tickets for the particular flight board the plane, if there are seats available, those seats are assigned to standby passengers--which, depending on the number of seats and priority of the other passengers--may include you. (It may be that dreaded center seat, but it didn’t cost you…)  Passengers with elite status on the airline have standby priority; then assignments generally are in order in which passengers were added to the standby list.  Call us if you are debating between flights. Our agents can advise you on availability even before you head to the airport.

Confirmed standby – If you want to avoid some of the standby risk, many airlines will change your ticket for earlier or later the same day for about half the cost of the regular change fee. You can do this by calling AmTrav or your airline or at the airport kiosk. Each airline has its own guidelines regarding confirmed standby, primarily what it will cost and when you can do it.  For example, United charges $75 while American and Delta/Northwest charge $50.  American allows confirmed standby from 1 to 12 hours before the passenger’s originally scheduled flight time, while Delta and United require that the new flight be booked within 3 hours of when you want to leave.  Each airline has other restrictions too.  Knowing what your airline’s rules are can save you time, money and frustration. Contact us with any questions.  

Southwest is an exception to many of the standby rules because they do not charge any type of change fee. You can change your flight if a seat is available, but to do so you must pay any difference in fare between the ticketed fare and the fare that would be charged if you bought a ticket at the time of the change.  Although there's no change fee, the change may not really be "free."  If you bought one of Southwest's refundable fares, though, the ticket price shouldn't increase.

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Q:  What’s the latest with the Delta/Northwest Airlines merger as it relates to the frequent flyer program?

A:  Delta’s SkyMiles and Northwest’s WorldPerks programs are scheduled to be consolidated in 2010.  You can continue with the account you use the most when booking a ticket or you can take the steps to consolidate your accounts now.  There is a program available that will reward travelers who combine their accounts before April 30, 2009 (http://www.nwa.com/worldperks/acctlink/).  Once you have a consolidated account, continue to manage its contents – review statements and balances to make sure that you’ve received credit for all your trips. 

We want to hear from you for questions for future newsletters.  Send questions, comments, and lessons learned by clicking here.

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Complicated Itinerary?  Call Us For Options

Our on-line tool is an easy way to book air travel.  However, working directly with one of our AmTrav travel consultants when booking complicated itineraries can also save you time and money.  It is not at all unusual for a business traveler to have several flights over the course of a few days in one trip.  You can certainly book this itinerary through AmTrav’s online tool, but if you want some flexibility and additional options, speak to us directly. AmTrav’s agents access the airlines’ reservation systems and can see how many seats are available at the lowest fare. AmTrav can put an itinerary on hold for you and manage the process throughout your trip.  As we discussed in the Travel Tips section, change fees can quickly add up, so by allowing one of our agents to work directly with the traveler and offer the different options, you may reduce frustration and costs.   

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