I’m in Las Vegas with ds for a conference and competition. I was able to get ds18 a flight using FF miles that leaves at 4:45 arrives home about midnight - he has to be at school at 7:00 on Monday and can’t make an earlier flight. I made my reservations at a later date, using miles but could only get a flight leaving 10:15 pm arriving home the next day at 11:xx am. I want to try to change flights to something earlier, if available, without a crazy increase in cost.
Should I go ahead and check in on line for my current flights or is is better to wait until I get to the airport (around 3:00 almost 7 hours before my flight) and talk to someone about attempting switching flights before checking in? It’s Delta if it makes a difference.
The fact that you could not get a reservation on an earlier flight is an indication that they’re already full. The airline can’t give u a seat where there isn’t an empty one.
Try this: go to the airline’s website and see if it’s even possible to buy a ticket on an earlier flight. The relative cost of the ticket is a barometer of the flight’s fullness. If it’s still selling seats, then try calling the airline to change it.
My DH often travels on business with unpredictable end times for his day. He has pretty good luck when he arrives at the airport early and just asks if it is possible to get on an earlier flight. Yes, it has gotten harder recently with fuller flights but it still works out at times. He is rarely charged a change fee. Good luck!
The problem w LAS is huge convention groups that all arrive & depart the same day. One day every seat on every plane on every airline is full, then the next day plenty of seats on every flight.
When you’re on a freq flyer award ticket, your boarding priority is low. Flexibility to standby will first be given to pax on a paid ticket.
I would suggest you call Delta and see if they can change it for you. They have become more accommodating in the past year. I would explain that your son has an earlier flight and that you are hoping to travel together. I believe they will make changes for a low fee in the 24 hours before a flight. Good luck!
There’s no harm in checking in. They can reissue the boarding pass for a different flight if it turns out there is room on it. If you wait to check in until you get to the airport, I would worry there is a chance you will be bumped or put on standby if they overbooked your flight counting on no-shows. Then you wouldn’t have any flight.
Thanks for the advice! I tried to purchase a ticket and found that there was only one seat available on my son’s flight and also only one seat available on my flight (@GMTplus7 I think you nailed it) I’ll go ahead and check in but ask about changing flights at the airport, goodness know I’ll have enough time to spend there! But won’t hold out hope for that one seat!
That the airline is still selling a seat isn’t conclusive there is an empty seat. Airlines typically oversell seats because there is dependably a percentage of no-shows. They would prefer to sell that capacity to a paying customer than fill it w a nonrevenue passenger who already has confirmed seating on a less desirable flight.
I definitely concur with GMT about calling Delta and asking them if you can change the flight. Can’t hurt, and it is same day.
Also, here’s one that has worked for me a lot. Many times they have revised my flight (maybe just changing the times a bit), and when I pull it up online, it has a message about the revision, and that I’m eligible to change the flight on the same day, confirmed, for free.
I think on Delta, when you check in on the kiosk, that there is an option to select that you want to go on an earlier or later flight. I don’t know if that message is always there, or just on fuller flights.
I ask to go on earlier flights all the time. I don’t think it matters when you check in, but if you go to the ticketing desk, you could ask if you could get on that earlier flight (they’ll probably only be able to put you on standby for that flight if it’s very full), or I go right to the gate and ask if I can get on this earlier flight. They generally say yes, unless it’s the last minute or overbooked. If they put you on standby for the flight, you may not find out till the last minute, but since you’ll be there anyways, may as well give it a go.
Usually I go ahead and check in online, but then show up at the gate for the flight I want and throw myself on the mercy of the gate agent. In the past they’ve been pretty accomodating, usually letting me fly standby with either a minimal fee ($25) or no charge at all.
But the last few times on AA and SW they’ve been pretty tough. AA wanted $75 to put me on an earlier flight (which turned out to only be half full), and SWA wanted $200! I declined the SWA option because it was just 90 minutes earlier, and it turned out that the earlier flight was undersold while mine was oversold and they were later paying people to give up their seats! They could’ve had my seat available if they’d sent me out earlier, but I guess their computer systems are not that smart.
Anyway, give it whirl but don’t be surprised if you’re asked the pay the fare difference between your flight and the earlier one if you don’t have status with that airline.
Sounds like you solved your problem, but, for the future: if you’re hoping to get on an earlier flight on the same airline, on the SAME day, you should check-in, go to the airport early, and go to the departing gate of the earlier flight and see if the gate agent can get you on stand-by. That way, there are no extra fees, and you have a chance to get a seat on a fully-sold flight if there is a no-show. I have done this successfully many times when bad weather was forecast for later in the day.
I am not familiar with Delta, but other airlines may not necessarily let you on for standby without paying a fee (unless you are a high-status frequent flier). Still, never hurts to go to the earlier flight gate.
Here’s my update. I did check in on line so that I wouldn’t be bumped from the current flight - didn’t think of that so very glad for the advice! Because of the awards ceremony I wasn’t sure if I could make it to the airport in time for the 4:45 flight. DS didn’t have to be present but his entry and awards could not be removed before the closing. I grabbed a cab as soon as possible and might have made it through security in time to catch the flight DS was on but the when I checked in with the attendant she said my only option to get on ds’s flight at that point was to fly stand by and I was ok with that, but she said because of the class of seat available she’d have to charge me $800! There weren’t any other options at that point.
The Delta agent was really nice and tried to look up other options but really couldn’t find anything that wasn’t crazy expensive. So I asked her what was the best way to kill 6 plus hours in the airport that didn’t involve slot machines. She suggested the American Expresses Lounge (luckily at the same gate I will eventually depart from). It’s $50 for a buffet dinner, open bar and free wifi. As you can tell I’m not a frequent flyer so this is new thing for me. I’d have likely spent more at an airport bar for dinner and wine, this is so much more comfortable and I love having outlets at the table and not feeling rushed!
-Warning Mommy Brag-
DS took second place in his category. We both agree that the first place winner had better technique but DS also won the People’s Choice award for his category. Even though there’s no cash prize for People’s Choice, most people view this as more important than first place because they are being judged by their peers, only a hand full of people actually know each other at this event so it’s not a popularity contest. This is also a very odd competition in that if you are not entering from one of the handful of sponsoring high schools, you have to enter in the adult armature division not the high school division. He really had a good time in the classes he took and wants to compete again next year so it’s worth the crazy flights home.