Any experience with Online Itinerary Changes?

[taless]

Hi,

Was wondering if anyone on this board has any experiences with doing online itinerary changes, for flights booked directly through Singapore Airlines website. Was it useful, does anybody have any pleasant/unpleasant experiences with them?

The Scenario
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I am booking a flight (Low Economy) with a possibility that I will need to change the inbound date. If there is such a need, I will know about it and could make the change even before my outbound departure flight.

Booking with Singapore Airlines website

Penalties
FOR WNET236 TYPE FARES VIA RTG3207 CANCELLATIONS ANY TIME TICKET IS NON-REFUNDABLE. NOTE - ONCE TICKETED NON-REFUNDABLE. CHANGES CHANGES PERMITTED FOR REVALIDATION. NOTE - CHANGES TO OUTBOUND DATES ARE PERMITTED PROVIDING IN THE SAME SEASON AND SPACE AVAILABLE WITHIN THE SAME CLASS OF TRAVEL. FOR CHANGES TO A HIGHER SEASON THE HIGHER FARE MUST APPLY. ------------ CHANGES TO INBOUND DATES ARE PERMITTED PROVIDING WITHIN THE VALIDITY OF THE TICKET AND SPACE AVAILABLE WITHIN THE SAME CLASS OF TRAVEL.

Does it mean if I were to book a W fare, and if in any case the W class fare is gone, I could pay for a fee (hopefully small?) to upgrade to the booking class that is available? Does it work that way?

Booking through Travel Agent
I contacted my travel agent, Trailfinders. They said in W class, all the dates are completely non-amendable, and I cannot pay a fee to upgrade the booking class.

They said the lowest, flexible fare that I can have is in M, which is GBP100 extra. However, even with that, the flexibility is "Dates changes are allowed AFTER departure. First change free, subsequent changes at GBP50."

What would you do?
For me, the booking through Singapore Airlines seems more desirable, in the sense it is cheaper, most probably I wont need the flexibility, and from my understanding (as detailed in the FAQs in the website), I could pay the fare difference if a booking class upgrade is necessary.

Am I right in this, or does it not work that way from your experiences?

Really sorry for this long post, but any answers will be really appreciated.

[Singapore_Air]

I'm not sure what the charge for changing your booking is. I am guessing £30.

It seems that it doesn't say if you can move to a higher fare class. I would assume so but am unsure. If not then you are in a bit of trouble if W class around your preferred date is full. But I'm guessing again that you are probably allowed to move to the higher fare class.

I would choose the options via SingaporeAir.com. You may wish to check the rebooking fee and the point I raised above with the call centre.

[jjpb3]

My suggestion is to book online, and then call the Reservations line for the city where the travel originates. They (LHR in most of my travels) control changes once the trip has been ticketed. I think you'll have to pay the fare difference for the one-way segment if the fare you originally booked in isn't available for the date you would like to change to.

I seem to recall paying £50 for changes before travel starts. When I've made changes on the return segments after I'd taken the first leg, the changes have been for free, because there was availability (but I don't recall which fares those were).

As a caveat, this is my vague recollection about changing W fares. I've had to do that only a couple of times in the past, so my memory is fuzzy. These memories could very well have been for non-W fares.

I've had very pleasant dealings with the UK reservations line ... assuming you could get through to start with. Early morning or weekends worked well; if in the middle of the day during the workweek, fuhgeddaboudit.

[xtra1]

Book on-line.
In the past, I have found out that for flights only, booking with Trailfinders tends to be more expensive than booking directly on the Singapore Airlines website!!
For a BC return ticket; Trailfinders charge about £150-£200 GBP extra.

[taless]

Wow, thanks guys for your really quick replies. Really appreciate them!

My suggestion is to book online, and then call the Reservations line for the city where the travel originates. They (LHR in most of my travels) control changes once the trip has been ticketed. I think you'll have to pay the fare difference for the one-way segment if the fare you originally booked in isn't available for the date you would like to change to.

I seem to recall paying £50 for changes before travel starts. When I've made changes on the return segments, the changes have been for free, because there was availability (but I don't recall which fares those were).

As a caveat, this is my vague recollection about changing W fares. I've had to do that only a couple of times in the past, so my memory is fuzzy. These memories could very well have been for non-W fares.

I've had very pleasant dealings with the UK reservations line ... assuming you could get through to start with. Early morning or weekends worked well; if in the middle of the day during the workweek, fuhgeddaboudit.

JJPB3, you mentioned you have to pay £50 for changes before travel starts. Do you mean you have to pay the £50 even if it is for inbound date changes pre-departure, or does the £50 apply only if it is changes to the outbound that are being made?

Do you know if you could pay for the fare differential? Somehow I am concerned, because as what Singapore_Air mentioned, it does somehow feel like, from the fare conditions, that it MUST be in the same class - which does make me rather worried, considering W class is very easily filled up!

I agree Trailfinders' fares are more expensive than online booking. But very surprisingly they threw in a side trip for me, which seems very cheap (i.e. the combined fare is much cheaper than if I were to book seperately). Hence my heart is a bit 'moved', though I still like to have a go at online booking!

[jjpb3]

JJPB3, you mentioned you have to pay £50 for changes before travel starts. Do you mean you have to pay the £50 even if it is for inbound date changes pre-departure, or does the £50 apply only if it is changes to the outbound that are being made?

Do you know if you could pay for the fare differential? Somehow I am concerned, because as what Singapore_Air mentioned, it does somehow feel like, from the fare conditions, that it MUST be in the same class - which does make me rather worried, considering W class is very easily filled up!

I added a clarification that looked like it appeared too late for you, taless. Sorry about that. Pre-departure, I've had to pay regardless of where the change (outbound or inbound) was made. Post-departure, I don't recall having to pay a fee, as long as the original fare class was available.

My memory is fuzzy about the fare differential, but I recall having to pay it to the next available fare from W. Sorry for the vagueness; I usually just paid the difference because I had to change my travel plans. IME, IIRC, as long as the fare was mileage-earning (this is on ex-LHR return trips), I've had some flexibility in changing my travel plans, for a fee.

Hope that despite the ambiguity, that was sort of helpful.

[taless]

Hey JJPB3,

Thanks lots for your reply. It was really helpful.

You seem to deal with Singapore Airlines through the phone. I wonder is the charge for pre-departure changes levied solely because the changes were made through the phone, or will it be the fee be levied even if it is processed online (if this facility is actually functional)?

Cheers!

[lee_apromise]

for W fare, date changes are allowed as long as you pay. It is for both inbount and outbound date changes.

[jjpb3]

I wonder is the charge for pre-departure changes levied solely because the changes were made through the phone, or will it be the fee be levied even if it is processed online (if this facility is actually functional)?

The existence of the change fee is built into the fare conditions, as lee_apromise mentioned.

[taless]

Thanks again, Lee_apromise and Jjpb3.

Updates - Prices equivalent on SIA and Trailfinders
Due to the online booking system unable to price my fare correctly, Singapore Airlines had to make a manual booking for me, with all offline booking fees waived. That fare is in W (I believe the agent meant W outbound and M inbound), cheaper than what I can get from Trailfinders.

However, as I am actually booking another flight, somehow Trailfinders are able to give me a good deal on that flight. The end result is, there is only a £1 difference between Trailfinders and if booked through Singapore Airlines/Silkair manually.

What would you choose now?
With this updated info, i.e. prices similar; Trailfinders booked into M both ways; Singapore Airlines booked into W (W/M?); I am now MORE LIKELY to request change after departure than pre-departure; and fare rules still per my first post, what would you do? Somehow I seem to be swinging in favour of Trailfinders, just solely because the booking class is higher (M) - would you agree with that?

Any opinions are greatly appreciated!