Do we book speculatively, hoping for a schedule change? Reader “LR” sent us the following question:
I was intrigued by a recent post about schedule changes in another group that I follow. This particular person noted that anytime United or AA makes a schedule change of any type, you can change your flight at no additional cost to your preferred route. Sometimes you may even have flexibility within several days of the original flight. So my question is, is this a tactic that you all use if you book flights far in advance? Pick the cheapest award price from one city to another, and then hope for a schedule change in order to change it to your preferred route? And then on an even more complicated note- have any of you had success following a schedule change, of changing from a flight in “first class (non-lay-flat seats)” to a different flight on “Delta One” or AA’s “flagship business” or United Polaris (etc, all of which have lay-flat seats)? I assume these are considered different classes and would require a fee upgrade. I’m trying to book flights home from Hawaii next March, and I’m wondering if this kind of tactic may work.
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I do this relatively frequently. We’re going to Mexico over Presidents’ Day weekend and the flight prices were terrible (~75k points pp for a good routing) when the schedule opened up. But on AA I found a basically unflyable route (getting in the following day) for 11k/pp. The schedule changed and now I have the good routing with ~250k miles saved for 4 people. I also did the same on United to double my odds (which also had a schedule change so now I have two good options to choose from). I would typically book only what I’m willing to fly, but in this case I probably would have cancelled the trip if it hadn’t worked out.
Since AA flights are pretty much guaranteed to change if you book far in advance I have used this trick many times.
I do this by booking the cheapest routing that I am still willing to fly. Maybe super early flights, or ultra short or long connections. I book very early, but I always make sure to book something I am still willing to fly.
Hoping for a schedule change that may or may not lead to a better routing or seat is a risky bet. Personally, if I really want something, I pay for it, because such ‘games’ often lead to disappointment. That said, even if you buy what you really want, yes, the airline/hotel, etc. can screw you over anyway, and you have limited recourse, beyond a partial refund, which is super lame, when that happens.