changing your departure date when OS...HELP!!

[annisha]

Hey there, i have abit of a dillemma and i hope someone can help me, im starting to panic!!! I leave for europe on may 31st, first time there, travelling solo. Anyway i decided i wanted to extend my trip. Originally i was to return august 17th from athens to melbourne, australia. Now i want to extend my trip till aug 31st. So i went to my travel agent today and they told me that i couldnt do this. If i want to extend my trip i have to pay another 600 dollars aud. This is because the ticket i purchased was an early bird saver ie a cheaper ticket. My travel agent advised me to extend my trip whilst travelling overseas because then i wouldnt have to pay the 600 dollars. I have a stopover at hong kong airport for about 2 hrs and i was told that the airport has a cathay pacific office. Im travelling with cathay pacific.What im worried about is what if i try to rebook the flight for august 31st but there are no seats available?? Do you usually have to wait a long time for another flight or is it preety easy to get the day you want?? I dont want to leave a week earlier because then i will have to skip a couple of places i really wanted to see, but then again i dont want to leave 2 wks later because i might not have any money left So has anyone changed their departure flights whilst travelling and if so were you able to get the date you wanted to leave on??? Sorry for rambling but im just worried, i dont want to be stranded...Should i just pay the 600 dollars or leave it to chance whilst os??

Thanks in advance
Happy travels

Leanne

[madamtrashheap]

Leanne, have a look at the conditions of your ticket as often there will be a clause about changing what is acutally your return date ( when you return from Europe to Australia - you're departure date is when you first travel ...confusing I know!). The clause might state that you can't change the return date until you've commenced your journey (ie any day after you leave Australia) without incurring an extra charge, hence the AU$600. August is busy, as you know, but you'd more than likely get a flight either side of the 31 August if you couldn't acutally get one on that date, but you might not get a choice of time, route, etc. As a general rule (although this has changed a little) the heaviest traffic for flights Europe-Australia starts in November and continues until January the following year, with a few flutters in April/May.

It's your call as to how you do this, but if you're concerned about money, maybe have a backup plan (credit card, loan from family, etc) that you can access if worst comes to worst and you can't get a flight on the 31st. That way you can take the gamble and rebook your flight once you're underway. Hong Kong is the home of Cathay Pacific so you'll have access to them in the airport, otherwise you can always call their local office in your first destination in Europe (they'll speak English).

Good luck!

[Eagle]

annisha, if I were in a similar situation, I'd probably check with another travel agent to get a "second opinion". I suspect that since your original ticket was sold at a discounted "early bird saver" price, changing this to another flight with seats that may have been sold at a higher price, will incur an additional charge (although $600 seems a bit "steep"). Often the terms of sale will be listed on the "fine print" somewhere on the ticket - get out your magnifying glass and read them over.

Just about all airlines have some kind of policy regarding seat changes (at least that seems to be the case here in Canada). Some will provide a credit to use towards future flights (which usually has to be used within a year or is forfeit). If the ticket is booked via the Air Miles "Rewards program), there are absolutely NO changes allowed, and no refund is provided (at least that's been my experience).

Given the distance that you're travelling to visit Europe, you might find that paying the change fee is the best option.

I hope you can find a solution to your problem? Good luck!!!

[annisha]

Hey guys, thanks for all your help I think i will try to rebook the return flight at hong kong airport cathay pacific offices. The conditions are that i can rebook my return flight home after travel commences....so thank god i dont have to pay the 600 dollars *phew*

I cant wait to travel so then i can come back on to this forum to give advice to people..this place has been such a help to me

[madamtrashheap]

annisha said:

The conditions are that i can rebook my return flight home after travel commences....so thank god i dont have to pay the 600 dollars *phew*

Thought that might be the case, glad it worked out. Enjoy your trip and make sure you post your info once you get back!