Which airlines, except for SWA, don't change your flight times?

[Kim&Chris]

Just wondering which airlines, if any, will allow you to book a flight and not change that flight time without your permission?

 

[budbeerlady]

Now days, NONE!

 

[goofy4tink]

Very few. It's not a question of permission. If you read (and nobody does) the contract of carriage for each airline, you will find that you have agreed to paying a fare for a ride from point A to point B on a particular day. Yes, we all choose which flight we want, and what seats we want (in most cases) but the airlines can change that flight at any time. The majority of airlines won't give you a refund, or allow you to make a free change, if the flight change was less than 3 hrs or so. With that in mind, they usually don't make changes of over 3 hrs. But...they can cancel your 7am flight and put you on an 8:15 flight, then a month later change that to a 10am flight. So....while it is 3 hrs difference from your original flight, it is not 3 hrs from the most recent flight.

I always book knowing full well that they can, and probably will, change my flights. I just book the one I prefer, at the fare I want and then hope for the best. So far, for my flights in August, the changes have all been in my favor. But, we still have 29 days to go and we're flying JB down and Delta home...lots of change opportunity there!!!

This is one reason I've started flying SW more often. I know that my flights will pretty much stay the same. Equipment issues can come up but that's understandable. Same thing with weather issues. But, they don't just willy-nilly make changes. That's one reason they hold back their booking window so much longer than other airlines. Yes, you have to wait longer to book, which makes some of us nudgy, but you'll be on the flight you booked.

 

[CarolA]

Just wondering which airlines, if any, will allow you to book a flight and not change that flight time without your permission?

None of them (including SW) ask your premission

Tradionally SW doesn't change, but.... SW is facing the same pressures everyone else is and I see them becoming more like "old line" airlines all the time.

 

[Brian Noble]

Yes, you have to wait longer to book, which makes some of us nudgy, but you'll be on the flight you booked.

To be fair, most of the others don't change things much inside "the southwest window" either---it tends to happen more often beyond that period. Once you get to that point, everyone pretty much knows what they need to schedule in terms of equipment and times.

 

[snykymom]

AirTran just changed my d's flights from a non-stop mid-afternoon flight (which she could make), to a two-stop late morning flight, which she couldn't. They also changed her return flight, which didn't work, either. The e-mail they sent her had a link for her to accept the changes.

She didn't. We called and they've refunded her money.

 

[Psychodisney]

It seems like they all make changes. Air Tran's just seem to be more dramatic and all the time! The bummer is when you have to cancel and your new itinerary costs more! I realized Airtran changed my Nov flights yesterday. They did not notify me at all yet...they said they would have let me know closer to the date. Thank you very much! Not.

 

[SuzanneSLO]

You may be better off booking an airline that has more flights to and from your destination which are acceptable to you. Then if your preferred flight is eliminated or rescheduled, you have a better chance that the airline has another acceptable alternative.

Another option is to book later, rather than earlier. Depending on when you are travelling, you may find the best fares and also have more certainty on flight times by waiting until a month or two before your travel.

Best of luck -- Suzanne