Airline Ticket Exchange Fees

[kstategrad]

I have a question I hope that someone can help me with:

We decided to change our vacation from November to September. As of last night when I checked with Northwest Airlines, the total price to change our tickets was $319.92 (for 4 of us). Today, when I checked, the price to change our tickets was $671.

We've already had our TA change our reservations to September, but the price to exchange our airline tickets is WAY too much.

Has anyone else had this happen? Is there any chance the fee will go back down, or are we stuck with over $600 to change our tickets?

Help!!

 

[NancyIL]

Northwest's change fee is $150 per ticket plus any difference in fare. The change fee alone for 4 tickets is $600, so yesterday's ticket prices must've been a lot lower than the price you paid for them. Sorry - I know of no way around change fees unless the reason for cancellation is due to the death of a family member - and that's how I got a change fee waived on American in January.

**If your travel agent actually made the change to your tickets, you are stuck. If the TA is merely holding a new reservation for you, I would keep watching the fares in hopes they will go back down after the weekend. The only way the total cost will be under $600 for 4 is if the airfare in September is less than what you paid for your November travel dates.

 

[kstategrad]

Thanks. I know that's what their policy is; however, last night it was only 1/2 as much as they're asking today.

I'm so upset about this. Now my vacation is changed to September but my flights are going to be WAY too expensive.

I don't know what to do.

 

[NancyIL]

Thanks. I know that's what their policy is; however, last night it was only 1/2 as much as they're asking today.

I'm so upset about this. Now my vacation is changed to September but my flights are going to be WAY too expensive.

I don't know what to do.

The fee to change the tickets hasn't changed, but the airfare has gone up since last night.

 

[kstategrad]

Yeah, I get what you're saying, but if their fee is $150 per ticket and we have four tickets, I'd think that the price would've been at least $600 last night too.

Thanks for your help though. I emailed them to see if they'd let me exchange them for the $319 fee I was quoted last night. I don't hold out much hope, but it's at least worth a try.

 

[NancyIL]

Yeah, I get what you're saying, but if their fee is $150 per ticket and we have four tickets, I'd think that the price would've been at least $600 last night too.

Thanks for your help though. I emailed them to see if they'd let me exchange them for the $319 fee I was quoted last night. I don't hold out much hope, but it's at least worth a try.

No - if the new fare is lower than what you paid for the November tickets, it acts as a credit against the change fees. Last night's airfares were lower than what they were when you called Northwest today.

Did you book the plane tickets yourself, or did the travel agent? What exactly did the travel agent change for September? Just hotel rooms? If the TA hasn't done anything with the plane tickets, then just sit tight over the weekend and keep checking Northwest's web site yourself. Fares tend to go up on the weekend and back down during the week.

 

[Lewisc]

NW and Delta are combining their schedules (maybe the wrong term). In the evident NW makes a significant change to your flights you can get a refund. The problem is you want to fly before your reservation. You might wait at least a couple of weeks, keep checking your reservation. You might get lucky.

 

[NancyIL]

NW and Delta are combining their schedules (maybe the wrong term). In the evident NW makes a significant change to your flights you can get a refund. The problem is you want to fly before your reservation. You might wait at least a couple of weeks, keep checking your reservation. You might get lucky.

I kept hoping Delta would make a change in my schedule in May so I could change from a 6:15 a.m. flight to a NW one after 9 a.m.! Unfortunately - it didn't happen!

The gamble that Northwest changes something so the OP can get a refund is risky, but it could happen. In the meantime, the OP can't buy new plane tickets if a great price comes up because then she could be stuck with TWO sets of tickets!

 

[kstategrad]

No - if the new fare is lower than what you paid for the November tickets, it acts as a credit against the change fees. Last night's airfares were lower than what they were when you called Northwest today.

Did you book the plane tickets yourself, or did the travel agent? What exactly did the travel agent change for September? Just hotel rooms? If the TA hasn't done anything with the plane tickets, then just sit tight over the weekend and keep checking Northwest's web site yourself. Fares tend to go up on the weekend and back down during the week.

I booked the airline tickets myself. My TA changed our whole vacation package (4 nights at WDW and a 7 night cruise) from November to September. I'll keep checking NWA's site. Thank you.

 

[NancyIL]

I booked the airline tickets myself. My TA changed our whole vacation package (4 nights at WDW and a 7 night cruise) from November to September. I'll keep checking NWA's site. Thank you.

That's good news! Yes, keep checking Northwest's fares, because they can change several times during the day, as I've seen on American's web site when tracking fares.

 

[kstategrad]

I kept hoping Delta would make a change in my schedule in May so I could change from a 6:15 a.m. flight to a NW one after 9 a.m.! Unfortunately - it didn't happen!

The gamble that Northwest changes something so the OP can get a refund is risky, but it could happen. In the meantime, the OP can't buy new plane tickets if a great price comes up because then she could be stuck with TWO sets of tickets!

Exactly. This is so frustrating! I got an email back from NWA: they said that they can't honor the price I saw last night.

Guess I'll keep checking and see what comes up in the next couple of weeks.

Anyone know what day of the week is best to buy airline tickets?

 

[Lewisc]

I kept hoping Delta would make a change in my schedule in May so I could change from a 6:15 a.m. flight to a NW one after 9 a.m.! Unfortunately - it didn't happen!

The gamble that Northwest changes something so the OP can get a refund is risky, but it could happen. In the meantime, the OP can't buy new plane tickets if a great price comes up because then she could be stuck with TWO sets of tickets!

The OP is from Tennessee. He should be able to book Southwest for not much more then $200 R/T, less if he grabs a DING. I don't know if I'd take the chance but it may not be that crazy.

 

[NancyIL]

The OP is from Tennessee. He should be able to book Southwest for not much more then $200 R/T, less if he grabs a DING. I don't know if I'd take the chance but it may not be that crazy.

I get the feeling the OP is a "she"! Whether or not she can get a great price on Southwest is irrelevant if she can't get a refund from Northwest.

 

[kstategrad]

The OP is from Tennessee. He should be able to book Southwest for not much more then $200 R/T, less if he grabs a DING. I don't know if I'd take the chance but it may not be that crazy.

OP is definitely a SHE, LOL!

We are in the suburbs of Memphis, so Southwest is not an option unless we drive to Nashville (3.5 hours away).

 

[CarolA]

Delta/NW had a BIG sale that ended at midnight last night.....

Sounds like the OP had the sale price and while she "thought" about it the sale expired. That's the risk, airfares are not guranteed until booked.