jiffer21225

I am new to the FF miles route and I had been saving my miles a while now (I really dont fly that much) and I finally had enough miles to get a ticket to Las Vegas over Thanksgiving.

So I booked it back in Feb. Well today when I went online to checkout my reservation it said to call UsAir my flight has changed.

So I called them and they said my flight coming home has changed and with the new flights I would miss my connection in CTL by 45 minutes. I was really suprised when I went to change my flight I was told that there was only one flight choice and pretty much I had to take it or leave it.

Now I know using miles can restrict me from choosing any flight I want but only ONE to choose from. I thought that seemed kinda extreme to me especially since UsAir was listing 18 flights that day for my return flight home.

Since I am new to this whole entire procedure I sure could use some advice. Should I have insisted on a different flight or pretty much I am at the mercy of the airline. What if I would have said no would they have deposited my miles back into my account?

gail

Yes, you areat the mercy of the airline. And no, they don't have to give you a choice.

With FF miles, there is a fee to redeposit your miles. You could have chosen that option.

Your only hope is that if you used premium level miles (50,000 and over) - and then with some fine print. Until recently, and FF rules continue to change so this may have as well, if you used that many miles on USAir to purchase a regular coach US RT flight, you could make changes for free. However, the key here may be that you said "over Thanksgiving" - you may have had to use that many miles just to get a FF ticket anyway.

jiffer21225

Thanks for the info.

jewela

First, you need to check the other flights to see if there are any vacant "reward" seats. If there are, call USAir& explain that you will miss your connection if you accept the flight they are offering. Then ask them to check the other 18 flights to see if there are reward seats available. That may be why they offered you the flight they did. Not all, or any of the other 18 flights will have reward seats left. Since you do have some time, you can keep watching for reward seats to open up. Sometimes airlines will add them later.

cindyj

I had a similar situation occur on upcoming flights to Greece booked with FF miles on Northwest. See posting with title "Schedule changes disrupt vacation". I did my research on all their code share partners and called with a solution. They were very helpful with making changes. And remember, no matter how mad you really are, "Honey attracts more flies than vinegar!"

jiffer21225

I did check and they had some "rewards seats" available on about 10 of the flights. But I think what the catch might be is that when i booked these I lucked out and was able to get saver seats where it only cost me 25,000 miles rt but the only seats left for any of the flights are 50,000 miles rt. Would that make a difference?

jiffer21225

I was wondering in the future if this happen again (I would not be suprised that UsAir changes my schedule again before I leave) is there any suggestions on how to get the flight I want?

tuscanlifeedit

It does make a difference that you got a Saver Award, and that the other available seats are points.

If you have the miles to spend you might call again and explain the situation, and see if they will allow you to use more miles to get the flight you want.

And if all else fails, and you explain why the new times can not work for you, you may find an agent willing to redeposit your miles without the fee. After all, they are putting you on flights you did not book.

I would call the FF Service Center. During US business hours. And pray.

Last night, I was on the phone with a rep that did not speak English, didnt know how to work the system, and wanted to charge me over $50 more in fees than the what was posted on the USAirways website. I had only called because I'd been attempting to book award tickets through the website for over 24 hours, and every time I got to the final screen, I got an error message.

While this guy had me on hold, at least 5 times, I reinitiated my request on the website and it went through. And the fees were still $50 less than he wanted to charge me.

I held on for another 15 minutes or so, attempting to tell him forget it, but when he never came back, I just hung up. I knew he couldn't do anything without a CC and he had never asked for one.

USAirways sucks for customer service, but I have found that calling the FF Service Center, or calling and recalling until I get someone helpful, can sometimes make a difference.

jiffer21225

Thanks for the advice. Having a english speaking person was the problem I had when I called

rkkwan

Where do you live? Did you check what kind of connections you can get flying from LAS to home?

In general, airlines are "generous" in rerouting you when there's a major schedule change, provided it's still on their metal. In fact, my family and I have taken advantage of such changes on Continental before.

But if there is only one possible connection from LAS to home each day, then there's not much alternatives they can provide you.

jiffer21225

I live in Baltimore and will be flying into BWI. I took the change they offered becuase I had not choice. The flight they have me on now I will have to leave LAS about 6 hrs earlier and that means I will need to get up extra early or change my plans.

See we had planned on going to the Grand Canyon the last 2 days of our trip and then driving from GC and driving right to the airport to catch our flight. But with our flight change I will have to make some adjustments.

rkkwan

If USAirways didn't give you any choice except that one, due to ITS canceling of flights, then there's no excuse, except to say what a crappy airline USAirways is.

Even on Sunday, 11/30, they are still selling tickets for the 4:31p non-stop LAS-BWI, plus many many flights that leave in the afternoon.

mrwunrfl

Did they check for availability on United flights?

jiffer21225

No they did not and I did not think at the time to ask. Well I know if it changes again and the times do not fit my schedule I know what some of my options are. Thanks everyone for the advice.