Having Trouble With an Airline

[OnlyPantherFaninMaine]

So at the end of February my girlfriend is flying out to San Diego from Providence, Rhode Island for her spring break and staying with me for some time before she has to head back east.

She purchased her original round trip ticket many months ago for a total of $401 which is a pretty damn good price compared to what I usually pay when I go back and forth between the coasts.

She had originally planned on missing one day of school when she returned on Monday, March 11th. However, her professor recently told her that if she missed one more day of class (which March 11th would be only the second absence of the semester) that he would reduce her overall grade by 25%. Because of this, she now has to change her flight to get home on Sunday the 10th of March rather than the 11th.

This morning without my knowledge she went ahead and booked a new roundtrip flight that would allow her to leave a day early for California and return back to Rhode Island a day earlier than originally scheduled. United charges $150 to change flights. The difference in price between her new round trip fare and her old is about $250.

Am I wrong for thinking that she should just have to pay the difference between the two flights + the $150 change fee for a total of $400?

She has called four times already today and each person she has spoken with has failed to directly answer her questions and each seems to give a different total. Some of the airlines employees have stated that she has to pay the new roundtrip flight costs + an additional $150 to change pruning the total to about $800 now for a round trip flight. I don't know what the deal is and am just trying to figure out how to change a flight is going to cost her another $800.

We are both getting increasingly frustrated and their representatives over the phone have blatantly contradicted themselves numerous times. If anyone has any experience with this it would be greatly appreciated. Her original flight is non-refundable so canceling all together isn't much of an option. I still don't understand why she just wouldn't be asked to pay the difference in fares + the change fee of $150.

On her new flight she technically does not have a seat yet and it says 'pending' on her pass. I was thinking it would be better to just say screw it to changing flights all together and instead just book a one way flight from San Diego to Providence and just miss her original flight while just paying for a one way + a round trip flight. However, I worry now the airline will say the round trip flight she just bought is non-refundable as well and she will be in the hole even more.

[Davidson Deac II]

Your beliefs make sense to me fwiw.

Biut if they are giving a different answer every time you call, just keep calling until you get an answer you like. Seriously, i did that once with a company i was dealing with. I kept calling back until I found someone who gave me the right answer. :)

[Happy Panther]

Change fee plus any difference in fare is pretty standard in the major airlines I am pretty sure.

On your last paragraph be careful as I think the airline can cancel your second leg if you don't make the first leg.

[MadHatter]

So at the end of February my girlfriend is flying out to San Diego from Providence, Rhode Island for her spring break and staying with me for some time before she has to head back east.

She purchased her original round trip ticket many months ago for a total of $401 which is a pretty damn good price compared to what I usually pay when I go back and forth between the coasts.

She had originally planned on missing one day of school when she returned on Monday, March 11th. However, her professor recently told her that if she missed one more day of class (which March 11th would be only the second absence of the semester) that he would reduce her overall grade by 25%. Because of this, she now has to change her flight to get home on Sunday the 10th of March rather than the 11th.

This morning without my knowledge she went ahead and booked a new roundtrip flight that would allow her to leave a day early for California and return back to Rhode Island a day earlier than originally scheduled. United charges $150 to change flights. The difference in price between her new round trip fare and her old is about $250.

Am I wrong for thinking that she should just have to pay the difference between the two flights + the $150 change fee for a total of $400?

She has called four times already today and each person she has spoken with has failed to directly answer her questions and each seems to give a different total. Some of the airlines employees have stated that she has to pay the new roundtrip flight costs + an additional $150 to change pruning the total to about $800 now for a round trip flight. I don't know what the deal is and am just trying to figure out how to change a flight is going to cost her another $800.

We are both getting increasingly frustrated and their representatives over the phone have blatantly contradicted themselves numerous times. If anyone has any experience with this it would be greatly appreciated. Her original flight is non-refundable so canceling all together isn't much of an option. I still don't understand why she just wouldn't be asked to pay the difference in fares + the change fee of $150.

On her new flight she technically does not have a seat yet and it says 'pending' on her pass. I was thinking it would be better to just say screw it to changing flights all together and instead just book a one way flight from San Diego to Providence and just miss her original flight while just paying for a one way + a round trip flight. However, I worry now the airline will say the round trip flight she just bought is non-refundable as well and she will be in the hole even more.

If she called to make a change to her flight, she would normally be charged a change fee plus the flight price differential.

However, if she just called and booked a different flight (not changed her original ticket) then she is screwed.

And yes...if she misses the first leg if the flight, the return leg will be cancelled.

[Hawk]

pics????

[Squirrel]

If it was less than 24 hours they should have given her a refund, It is part of the Passengers bill of rights.

Yeah she messed up with booking another round trip. Should have just changed the day she was returning. Would have been fare difference and $150 fee.

Looking at United's policy the only option she may have is try to rebook one for a later date.

[Mother Grabber]

Delta wanted to charge me $150 + the difference just this week, for a total of about $450. So I bought a one way on Southwest for $168. Delta then cancelled my original and gave me credit for the amount on a future purchase. Seems like a win/win.

[thefuzz]

My problem would be with the professor, not the airline.

What kind of jack hole takes 25% off your grade for missing 2 classes?