They say the devil is in the details, and nowhere is that more true than with airfare rules. I’ve been working with a reader to help resolve a ticket change request, and you’ll want to read her story before you buy your next airline ticket.
“Our daughter is a study-abroad student in the UK,” she wrote. “We bought a ticket through British Airways with an understanding that she could change her return flight for a fee as the ending date of her program and her ability to do further traveling was up in the air at the time of booking.”
But when she called British Airways to change the flight, she was told she couldn’t make any changes — and was referred back to her agent. Now she’s faced with having to buy an entirely new ticket for her daughter.
What happened?
I contacted her agent, who said there were different rules for each one of her daughter’s flights. “The fare rules for the outbound flight do allow for a change, minus a fee,” an agency representative told me. “But the return trip does not allow for a change.”
So here’s the deal: Anytime you have more than one set of rules, the most restrictive is the one that applies. The agency had shown the customer all of the fare rules before the purchase was completed, and thus wouldn’t do anything to help.
What does this mean to you? Just that you have to do your homework when you’re buying airline tickets. Read the fare rules; don’t take an agent’s word for what it does or doesn’t say.
Because when push comes to shove, the only thing that matters is what’s written.
✓ Get the latest travel news, tips and commentary from Elliott’s E-Mail, the subversive newsletter from industry gadfly Christopher Elliott. You’ll travel like a pro. Sign up here. It’s free.
Sign up for my 
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Also work with an agent that you trust. Apparently they went with the first one they found — not a repeat business.