Northwest changed our flight times!!

[Sherrilatte]

Instead of later in the morning, they changed us to a 6:55am flight departure and we arrive an hour later in Orlando. We leave an hour earlier from Orlando and arrival an hour later back home.

Can I change my flight time now without fear of penalty since they have already tapered with our original flights? I opted to pay more so that I could have the times I selected.

Has this happened to anyone else?

 

[E&BMom]

It sounds like they added connections or lengthened your layover times. If that's the case, you MAY have some options to rearrange your schedule without penalty. With those limited timing changes, however, you really will be at the whim of the airline. They're not required to make accomodations unless the time changes are much more significant.

 

[kirbsam]

whenever nw has changed our itinerary, they have always accomodated us to rearrange times at no charge. good luck???

 

[BuckNaked]

Independence Air changed our June flight as well - IAD to MCO from 9:10 departure to 8:15, then MCO to IAD from 3:15 to 11:15. I called and was able to change the 11:15 to 6:15 without penalty.

 

[needmyears]

Northwest has changed our flight times twice in the last month. We called and they were more than happy to put us on another flight that worked better for us, with no charge. They were very nice and assigned our seats for us. You should have no problem.

 

[KellyFam]

They did the same thing with us, and I used frequent flyer miles. They ended up giving me (no charge) better flights than I originally had.

 

[Pinnie]

I dislike NWA for just this reason. I am a FF with them and it seems that no matter when or where I book with them, they will change my flight for some reason!

pinnie

 

[peachgirl]

The same thing has happened with us, only it's United and the flight time coming home was moved up 3 hours! Just like you, we picked the flight for the times and paid a considerable amount more to get the times we wanted.

They seem to be very helpful about changing our flights around, but these days flights seem to be very limited and so far we haven't found what we want. Of course, once we do, they'll undoubtedly change times on us again.

We flew AA on our last trip and our flights were changed 3 times before our departure. I guess everyone does it...with the exception it seems of Southwest. Then again, I absolutely refuse to fly Southwest because I can't stand their unassigned seating policy.

This might explain why I fly as little as possible.

 

[bicker]

Can I change my flight time now without fear of penalty since they have already tapered with our original flights? I opted to pay more so that I could have the times I selected.

Each airline's rules are different. Northwest considers a schedule change to be an irregularity if the departure or arrival time differs by more than 60 minutes, or if extra stops are added to the itinerary. That's actually one of the most generous definitions of schedule irregularity in the business -- some airlines require the schedule change to be at least two or four hours in order to consider it an irregularity. (However, keep in mind that typically the airline's liability in case of an irregularity like this is simply to refund your money, so if you got a particularly good fare to start with, you're probably better off sticking with it.)

Generally, most airlines will move you from one flight to another, on the same routing, on the same day, if there are still seats available on the flight you want to move to that are in the same fare class as the seats you've got.

I absolutely refuse to fly Southwest because I can't stand their unassigned seating policy.

Of course, it's that policy and others that make Southwest best able to provide well-regarded customer service... they very clearly set their passenger's expectations, commensurate with the service they intend to provide. For some of us, those expectations are set too low.

 

[Lewisc]

Some of the charter type carriers won't even give you a refund if the schedule changes unless the DAY of your flight changes. If they change the time or add a stop or even make your flight a connecting flight you have no option other than forfeit 100% of your fare and book somewhere else.

People want very low fares but aren't always willing to live with the restrictions that comes with those fares.

 

[peachgirl]

Of course, it's that policy and others that make Southwest best able to provide well-regarded customer service... they very clearly set their passenger's expectations, commensurate with the service they intend to provide. For some of us, those expectations are set too low

First off...Hi Bicker! It's been a long time, but I remember some great "discussions" on the old debate board!

There's no doubt that Southwest has a very loyal following and for the moment are doing quite well. To each their own I suppose, I just don't care for the cattle car boarding procedure. The last couple of times I flew Southwest, people began lining up at the gate more than an hour before they even started boarding. I don't particularly want to get to the airport any sooner than I have to and I sure don't want to stand in line for an hour or more just to get seated together.

Added to all that is the fact that their planes are small, uncomfortable and not particularly clean. Can you tell I'm not a Southwest fan?

I was more than a little surprised and quite pleased to find United's fares were actually $30 pp cheaper than Southwest, although it wouldn't have made a difference.I don't know if it's just my area, but Southwest is no longer always the cheapest seat in town.

As far as United's policy...I was told if the change was 3 hours or more it was a refund or a reschedule. They also told me we could change airports, make an overnight flight or even change stopover destinations. I was very impressed with their willingness to help.

 

[Sherrilatte]

Great advice--which I really needed.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Northwest is normally willing to help you change a flight to better suit you without penalty if they have altered your original itinerary. Northwest nearly always alters the departure time of my early morning flights by 12 to 30 minutes, but I am given notice well in advance. I generally allow for this when I make my booking in the first place. Only once did I ask them to put me on another flight (same day) and they did, gratis.

Good luck!