AGM_Cape_Cod

We bought our tickets to France during the spring promotion through AirFrance. It is a flight from BOS-CDG, 3 nights in Paris, flight to Nice, 7 nights in Provence, flight back to CDG & Boston from Marseille. A friend has just told us his 50th birthday is in March and he wants to be in Paris. It is the day after we leave Paris for Provence. I called AirFrance and the only way to change the ticket is to pay $200 each and the difference in the flight. Since it was on a promo the difference is $500 per ticket. A good friend but we aren't Rockefellers. Is there anyway to do this that I am missing? If there is another promotion do you think they will let me change tickets? TIA.

Underhill

Perhaps you could take the train instead...if you get a PREM fare it would be considerably cheaper than $200 each. I think.

lincasanova

can your friend change his ????? might be more easonable and you could pay his change
if this is important to you.

Dukey

Just make CERTAIN that if you don't show up for any one segment it won't cause the whole reservation to be cancelled.

rkkwan

If you decide to skip the flight and take the train or drive or whatever, make sure you call Air France same night of that Paris-Nice flight and tell them you just miss the plane due to an emergency, but will still use the remaining legs back to Boston.

Otherwise, if you simply don't show up for that flight, the rest of the itinerary will be cancelled. And don't call early either, or they'll re-price your whole itinerary and who knows what sum they come up with.

It's tricky to make up excuses, but it should work. If the first phone agent's not willing to help you, don't argue and call back to find another.

francophile03

rkkwan, would AF really allow this even if the o.p. were to give them a very good excuse? Last year I had a return trip originally departing from Basel/Mulhouse and connecting in Paris. So when I took the train from eastern France to visit Paris I asked AF in case of emergency (e.g. train strike) and I got stuck in Paris if it would be okay to board my flight home from Paris. All of the agents I talked to said it was not possible. And like you said I was told if I didn't show up for the first leg of the journey the connecting journey would be cancelled.

Sue_xx_yy

If this were a leap year, you'd have been celebrating one day later on the given date than usual. So, why not this year, celebrate the day before? Hey, 365 times 50 is 18, 250 days. Looked at that way, one day more or less isn't that significant. Unlike airfare dates, birthday date celebrations are cheap and easy to change.

ellenem

If your frined will already be in Paris the day before his birthday, this looks like a good excuse for TWO celebrations. We did this in Rome for a friend's 40th borthday. Eight different people were coming, but none could stay the same days. There were people arriving or departing every day for about 5 days, which meant another celebration every night. "Let's celebrate that A has arrived!" "Let's celebrate B's last dinner!" "Let's celebrate C's birhtday!" Great fun.

rkkwan

francophile - The excuse <b>should</b> work, but I cannot guarantee it <b>will</b> work.

francophile03

rkkwan, maybe the o.p. will get lucky but I doubt it. One agent told me that you can't treat airline tickets like train tickets.

AGM_Cape_Cod

I guess I will tell our friend to get to Paris before we leave and we will treat him to dinner. Though it sounds good to call and say we missed the flight I am not willing to chance having to pay another fare for our flight home. Thanks.

sashh

call on the day of the booking and tell them you are ill. Say you intend to fly but have been feeling really breathless and have chest pain and could they have some oxygen ready? I doubt they will let you on the flight - far too expensive if they have to divert.

Neopolitan

Yea. Always a great idea. Book a cheap flight, then break all the rules by lying your head off. Dishonesty works so well, doesn't it?