Traveler's Aide: When airline rules change after booking
— -- Question: In July 2008, I redeemed US Airways frequent-flier miles for tickets for my daughter on a family trip to Hawaii. Knowing that I might need to change the travel dates, I inquired about the process for doing so. I was advised that changes to the dates would be free as long as the routing was the same and all travel was completed within one year of ticketing.
In October, I called back to make a date change on my daughter's ticket. Apparently, however, US Airways had changed its policy in the several months since I had ticketed the reservation. Under the new policy, all changes are $150.
In the meantime, I had used Dividend Miles to book another four tickets to Hawaii, and need to change those too. That change will cost another $600. We're not normally "date changers," but we had booked a stay at a hotel under renovation, and its reopening date was pushed back twice due to construction delays.
US Airways acknowledges the old policy and that I was advised of that policy at the time of original ticketing. Its position, though, is that the new policy applies and not the policy I was promised when I made my original booking. I believe this is unfair, and that US Airways should honor the rules that were in place when I obtained my tickets. Numerous requests for reconsideration have gone unanswered. Can you help?
— Jordan Silber, San Francisco
Answer:Cash-strapped airlines have been increasingly turning to so-called ancillary revenue to generate income. These lucrative add-ons include fees for checked bags, charges for better seats, convenience fees for telephone bookings and so on.
In June 2008, US Airways announced another round of policy changes, including cost-cutting moves and money-making fees. Dividend Miles members shouldered some of the duty, facing new fees for issuing award tickets ($25-$50) and for all award ticket changes ($150-$250) after August 6, 2008.
The new date-change fee ensnared Silber, who booked his daughter's ticket before the fee implementation date, but the rest of the tickets after it. His daughter's original ticket was issued under the old rules, which allowed date changes, but not routing changes, without a fee.
However, Silber had already changed that ticket once after the new policy came into effect, according to US Airways. That meant the re-issued ticket was subject to the new rules; the airline says it waived the new $150 change fee the first time around, but not the second time.
Silber's September booking fell under the new policy from the start. It's possible that the booking agent misspoke about the six-week-old date-change policy, says US Airways representative Valerie Wunder. Regardless, according to the rules, the date-change charges for those four award tickets legitimately came to $600. Silber balked at the extra charge, and waited to make the change while pleading his case with the airline.
US Airways agreed to revisit his date-change predicament. These kinds of situations are handled on a case-by-case basis, says Wunder. The carrier agreed to refund the date-change fee on his daughter's ticket, and to redeposit the miles into his account, waiving the fees for that as well.
"US Airways, in a good faith measure, decided to refund the $150 ticketing change fee given the coincidental timing and circumstances surrounding Jordan's ticket changes with our changes in policy," says Wunder.
How can you avoid trouble?
Always ask about change policies and other fees, even if you're a regular customer. Travel companies — and not just airlines — are becoming ever more creative with a la carte pricing, charging fees for "extras" that used to be included in your fare.
Linda Burbank first began troubleshooting travelers' complaints for the Consumer Reports Travel Letter. She now writes regularly for Consumers Union publications and is a contributing editor for National Geographic Traveler. E-mail her at travel@usatoday.com. Your question may be used in a future column.