Hi CD's,

I am in a bind here. I have purchased tickets to travel to India this summer. Later, i realized that i might have to arrive a week earlier. The ticket agent says that it is tough to find tickets to fly back.

I am aghast. As far as i know, there is a penalty to change the dates or there was one free change option? Besides, it has always been easy to change dates while flying back.

is this a new airline policy or do i need a new agent? Please advise.


Sri.

You are a long ways off from taking that flight. There is a possibility, if the Airlines that you are flying with has open seats for that price, as there are only a few seats that are made available at that price with both of the 'legs' taken into account.

Also some may switch it for free and that depends upon the status the TA has with the consolidators. They can easily sell the tickets that they issued to you without any loss. But, they can charge you the extras for the cancellations, switch etc., as noted in their tickets issued to you. See the fine print.

Some travel agents will do it for free and as he says might not get the return dates that you are looking for. That could be a fact. See if you can adjust them at your end. Also see if trhe family will accommodate it too.

Here is one Lufthansa's posting on their website. You will have to see the write ups that the air line you are flying with and returning back with also.

Hope it works out well.

Good luck.


FH.

LUFTHANSA. : Quote.

Rebook flights online quick and easy.

From now on, if you have booked your ticket via LH.com, you can if necessary change that booking online or mobile up to 1 hour before departure under My Bookings. You can therefore react quickly and flexibly at any time to unforeseen events without needing to contact the Lufthansa Service Centre and, for example, avoid having to queue at the ticket counter at the airport.

Please note that it is only possible to rebook your flight if you have not already checked in for the flight in question. This service is available in over 60 countries worldwide.

If you wish to change the time of your flight, simply call up your booking on LH.com - either via My Bookings or by logging on with your surname and booking code. Clicking on the ‘Change booking’ button takes you to the alternative flights available to you. Please note: the only requirement is that your ticket’s fare conditions allow you to change your booking and that you have not already checked in for your original flight.

If you book your outbound and return flights at the same time, you also have the option of paying for an upgrade to the next travel class. If changing your booking incurs additional cost, e.g. because of a re-booking charge set out in the fare conditions or a surcharge for a higher booking class, this will be displayed and deducted at the end of the transaction through your chosen payment method.

end of quote.

fh.

Hi Full house,

Thank you for the detailed reply.

1) I am flying via BA. I will check and see if it has any options to self book on my way back.

2) The agent says that changes cannot be made before the flight departure. He asked me to contact him after reaching India for any possible changes.

Regards

Sri.