twiggers,

Check with Delta or whoever you are planning to purchase your tickets from. Change fees usually only apply if you change your itinerary in some way.

As far as no movies on international flights what your friend experienced is not the norm. I imagine the system malfunctioned. Airlines do not operate in a perfect world.

On board entertainment depends on the airline and how they have their aircraft configured. Not all 767's or 747's will be the same. Check it out before you purchase your ticket.

For more air travel tips checkout: www.dmbflyingcoach.blogspot.com

LT.. That is not how airline rebooking works. On Delta she would probably just be rebooked thru ATL or MEM.

You are right that connecting in Europe might be better but as twiggers posted it comes with a 13 hour layover on the return trip.

I flew AF from CDG-MIA in May and I cannot say they their service was any better or worse than flights that I have taken on Delta, KLM, Qantas, American or Continental.

I am glad you had a pleasant experience.

I don't really want to have the layover in Europe on the way over. Mostly because I think it would be better to have the time to sleep all together at the end. But that's just me....I see what you mean about at least being in Paris, etc.

Maybe I'm wrong though....I thought about doing a direct to CDG and then just doing Thalys, but the cost ended up being higher.

twiggers,

Your original plan is the best idea! Train service is expensive in Europe unless you can travel on student or discounted fares.

Hope you find a great deal and allow yourself backup flights on any connections no matter which airline you choose. I think Delta/KLM offers the most choices to/from AMS.

Good luck with your travel plans, I think you and DH will enjoy AMS.

Thanks DMB! I appreciate it :-)

Hey there - I booked a flight on AF to Barcelona on Labor Day weekend two weeks ago and the price went up 300 when I checked today. I am no means an expert and don't have a crystal ball but if I were you, I might want to book sooner rather than later.

usernameistaken,

You make my point! Don't gamble with airline ticket prices. Will beat you to Spain, off to Madrid this weekend. Hopefully will be a part of a National Party on Sunday!

DMB:

When CO was still in SkyTeam, I did this on more than one occasion -- was booked on DL, there was a schedule change, I called up & asked to be rebooked on CO. As both KL & AF are SkyTeam partners, this is an option. Yes, DL will push for rebooking on DL, but as long as the AF flight time is not radically different from the original flight time, they may very well allow it.

As Twiggers only discusses his/her outbound flight, the return flight is not an issue. It wouldn't be, anyway, unless there is a schedule change/canceled flight/etc. with the return portion. Yes, you are correct that rail can be expensive, but being stuck on this side of the Atlantic would preclude most other contingencies.

LT...

Your clarification helps those that think they can just be rebooked on another airline. Your original airline will alway attempt to rebook you on one of their airplanes.

It cost them money to rebook even if on an alliance partner. You were fortunate to be accommodated this way. CO has been known for good customer, this is just another example of this

DMB:

Hate to quibble, but as long as you are requesting a rebooking on a same-alliance carrier, and as long as the routing is reasonable (e.g. don't try to be rebooked on JL if you're originally flying AA from ORD - LHR), it's not that uncommon.

Another example: was booked on CO last November from DCA - LAS. DCA-IAH segment was changed & I asked to be rebooked on UA via ORD. The key here is to do your homework & find an alternate flight that is 1) in the same alliance, and 2) no more than an hour or 2 different from your original flight. I've ironically ended up with better flights on numerous occasions. But, the key is to have an alternate flight in mind when you call up to be rebooked. The airline is not going to volunteer to put you on an alliance partner, but,as the saying goes, ask, and you shall receive . . .

Now asking to be rebooked on a non-alliance carrier is another matter. Only time I've had that happen is when the flight was canceled for a mechanical issue.

Thanks for the information all!

Return flights aren't really an issue....getting stuck in Europe wouldn't be that big of a deal LOL and we fly in through ATL...so no problems getting from there to MIA.

I'm planning on buying tonight! Currently at $960....AF prices came down, but their return flight is just awful!

LT,

I am glad we are quibbling because you have further clarified your original statement which I think left the door open for serious misunderstanding.

My point and I think we are on the same page, airlines will not randomly rebook you on another airline. The exception being as you mentioned only if your original flight is canceled and it is more convenient to rebook you on another airline.

I think now we can quit quibbling :)

I read somewhere, and have it in my notes, that flight/ schedule changes are initiated/announced at least 90 days in advance, so if you book within that time frame, chances of changes are slim to none.

But to hope/assume that any trip goes "seamlessly", is just not a realistic expectation, even though you may be pleasantly surprised.

These days, you really do need to be prepared for all sorts of contingencies, most of which will never happen, but it's far better to be prepared for them than not.