I’m part of the problem in this. I booked flights through one of those travel websites, three tickets, cheapest non-refundable fare — a risk, but I am usually good about triple-checking myself — and paid.
Three days later, reviewing my emails, I noticed that the tickets I booked were for the wrong date! Luckily, I booked about two months out, so it wasn’t a last-minute scramble.
I knew I had screwed myself with the cheapest fare, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to call and ask. Worst case, I eat the first tickets’ cost for my stupidity and make a whole new booking.
Agent: “Thank you for calling [Booking Site]. How can I help you?”
Me: “So, I booked tickets for [flight], and I realized I made them for the wrong day. I know I screwed up, but is there any way to just change the dates?”
Agent: “Well, it looks like you booked the Basic tickets, which don’t allow changes. But it looks like I can upgrade the tickets to Main Cabin and then change them?”
Me: “Okay? How much would that be?”
Agent: “Well, the change fee would be $99, and the upgrade would be $169 per ticket. The total for that change would be around $606.”
Me: “What?! Um… Can I just… cancel it? And rebook myself?”
Agent: “That is an option. But your tickets are non-refundable, so you wouldn’t be getting anything back. The site would issue a partial credit for the airline, but it would still generate the $99 fee if you use your credit to rebook as it would count as a change.”
Me: “I would get partial credit for the tickets?”
Agent: “Only site credit. Your tickets are non-refundable, and it would still incur a change fee if you were to rebook.”
Me: “But I could use the credit toward new tickets? Just with the change fee?”
Agent: “That’s correct. Or I could process the upgrade and change to your current reservation now.”
Me: *Pauses* “No, I’ll just cancel the tickets, and I’ll redo it myself.”
Agent: “If you’re sure. I want to remind you again that they are non-refundable and will only issue you a partial credit. You will also be charged a change fee for rebooking using your credit.”
Me: “That’s fine.”
Agent: “All right. I’ll go ahead and cancel that booking. You’ll be receiving $78 per passenger in credit. When you rebook, please keep in mind that using your credit will constitute a change and incur the $99 fee. Is there anything else today?”
Me: “Nope… I’m good, thanks.”
I only paid about $80 per ticket, all totaled. So, somehow, altering the reservation was going to cost over twice what I paid for them, but cancelling gave me almost the entire ticket price back? Better outcome than I was expecting, since I was expecting nothing back at all, so win for me. But I’m just so confused by the math. The $99 change fee I was expecting, but who on earth would double what they paid for their tickets in upgrade fees alone rather than get “partial” credit and rebook? Even getting no credit and rebooking would have been cheaper.