Travel

Showing up to airport to get earlier flight

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  • Jul 7th, 2017 10:22 pm
Deal Addict
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Oct 29, 2002
1926 posts
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Vancouver

Showing up to airport to get earlier flight

I have a flight tomorrow on Delta from LAS to YYZ, booked through Expedia. Paid $245 for the ticket.

Current price for the ticket for that flight is $826.

There is the exact same flight tonight currently priced at $633.

Tomorrow's flight clearly has more value. I try to change with Delta, they say I have to talk to Expedia. Expedia tells me there is a $200 change fee + the difference in price which is another ~$400 because I paid $245. They don't factor in that tonight's flight has less value and is actually $200 cheaper than the value of the ticket for tomorrow's flight. Lack of business sense frustrates me to no end.

They should want to fill up tonight's flight, but instead they will fly it with empty seats and forego the opportunity to sell an extra seat on tomorrow's flight.

Is there any chance I can show up to the airport and have them switch it for me? It's not an emergency and I'm not interested in paying anything, but curious if it's even worth a shot.
11 replies
Newbie
Sep 7, 2015
80 posts
28 upvotes
Calgary
Yes, Chowder you can always try in the future and they will accommodate as possible (been there, done that, but mostly not) but understand you can't be grumpy at the CSR if they can't
Deal Fanatic
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Sep 22, 2012
7736 posts
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Richmond Hill
yoyogu wrote: Too late, oos
Out of curiosity, I actually checked flight prices and found one tonight for around that range.
Image
Deal Addict
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Oct 29, 2002
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Vancouver
rugerty100 wrote: Out of curiosity, I actually checked flight prices and found one tonight for around that range.[/img]
$214 not bad! Still prefer to pay nothing since I've already paid for my flight and they should want to change it to fill up a flight.
Sr. Member
May 7, 2015
528 posts
179 upvotes
Toronto, ON
Don't bother, the same change fees apply. It's not a matter of what ticket has more current value or not, what matters is the price you paid for it and the restrictions that came with that fare class. If you wanted a ticket you could change for free, you should have paid for a more flexible ticket in the first place.
Member
May 7, 2017
347 posts
164 upvotes
itll cost you same day. I tried three times (Porter, Air Canada and Delta).
Deal Addict
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Oct 29, 2002
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Vancouver
BeanFinn wrote: itll cost you same day. I tried three times (Porter, Air Canada and Delta).
same day appears to be $75 with Delta. That's encouraging.
Deal Guru
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Sep 6, 2002
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Moving target
BaconBaron wrote: Don't bother, the same change fees apply. It's not a matter of what ticket has more current value or not, what matters is the price you paid for it and the restrictions that came with that fare class. If you wanted a ticket you could change for free, you should have paid for a more flexible ticket in the first place.
There are exceptions to these rules for same day standby changes. Notably Rapid Air with Air Canada + Air Canada to NYC and Porter YTZ-EWR-YTZ route.

Air Canada free same day standby changes on Toronto/Ottawa/Montreal flights (same airport of departure only)
https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/hom ... idair.html

Porter free same day standby changes on earlier YTZ-EWR-YTZ (I use this often and easily get earlier flights)
https://www.flyporter.com/en/book-trave ... re-options

Air Canada matches/tops this benefit with all EWR/JFK/LGA flights on standby

https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/hom ... he-us.html
Complimentary on flights between Toronto Pearson and JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports
Last edited by TravelStarr on Jul 5th, 2017 11:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Autocorrect sucks
Deal Addict
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Oct 29, 2002
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Vancouver
thanks all. didn't bother.
Deal Addict
Oct 18, 2014
2050 posts
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HK
They shouldn't "want" to fill that seat. It's how the economics of revenue management work in the airline industry, which got you a cheap seat to begin with.

Their stock is at a historical high, so they must be doing something right for the market to be confodent in the organization.
Sr. Member
May 7, 2015
528 posts
179 upvotes
Toronto, ON
GangStarr wrote: There are exceptions to these rules for same day standby changes. Notably Rapid Air with Air Canada + Air Canada to NYC and Porter YTZ-EWR-YTZ route.
Yes I know for same day standby there are exceptions (usually on routes with several flights per day), but unless I misread the OP's post, this was about changing his flight to an entire day earlier, not earlier in the same day.
Deal Fanatic
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Oct 24, 2005
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Burlington
As another posted pointed out it worked for Porter. I showed about 1 hour before the previous flight was leaving not trying to get on but just arrived super early to check into my own flight and both times they told me if I can run fast enough through security they will put me on the earlier flight. I took the offer!

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