Changing flights
 

We are ticketed London Gatwick to Bordeaux departing at 7:10 a.m. There is a flight leaving the previous day that we would prefer. Is it possible to get on the earlier flight if space is available at boarding? We don't want to change our original tickets now -- even if that's possible-- because of the change fees. If it matters, our tickets were obtained with AAdvantage miles.

Are you sure there are any change fees? If your tickets were obtained with AA miles you may be able to change for the same route different day at no additional cost. There would of course have to be available award travel on the new route for the new date. But perhaps since the last time I did it AA changed their rules. Or perhaps because it is actually a partner airline ticket (British Airways) that might be different.

In my experience, there would be change fees; you should call AA and ask about the procedures/availability.

I don't see how that would work. To simply show up and try to get on an earlier flight without changing your ticket???

Call AA. Now is the time to ask, not the day of the flight. You would either have to pay a change fee and difference in fares or pay with more miles. As Laurie Ann says, there would have to be award availability on the new flight you want, and that won't exist when you walk up to the check-in counter. Or, at least, the check-in counter won't have any way to process that transaction.

To simply show up and try to get an earlier flight is often called stand-by. In the past it was easy to do on some airlines for same day travel, but I'm not aware of being able to change your dates. Rules have become more restrictive over the last years even for same day changes.

Plus, standby is usually not possible for international flights.

Thanks all.

<i>If it matters, our tickets were obtained with AAdvantage miles. </i>

Actually, it does matter. You will need to read the T&C of your FF plan but generally speaking, once you book a flight with miles you cannot make any changes without expensive penalties.

Your tickets are are in a specific fare bucket and chances are somewhere between slim and none that you can get on an earlier flight with an award ticket.

Like Jeff said, call AA. I have done it lots of times in the past using AA FF miles, but not recently.

Here's a link to AA page which includes information about changing award travel:

http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/re...servations.jsp

It may be that description applies only to AA routes (and not their partner airlines).

It appears clear that you will incur a fee

- if you change your origin or destination

- if you want to change within 75 days before your trip you will incur a fee. (It appears to the be the same fee you would incur if you wanted to book a new award trip within 75 days before your trip.)

But is is silent as to whether there would be any fee if you have the same origin and destination and you are more than 75 days out.