An Informative Guide on Changing Flight to Come Home Early

Who does not like to reach early to the destination? If there are possibilities to arrive home early, then people will want to change their plans. If you are traveling with an airline that offers the change, then go for it. You can change your travel date on that airline and plan your journey accordingly. There are some measures that you have to take to change your flight. Follow the actions and get your flight changed.

Can You Change My Flight to Come Home Early?

When you book your flight ticket for next week with your desired airline, you only have to travel on that day. But if for some apparent reason you need to travel to your destination on that particular day, in that case, you must be worried. Eliminate all your worries, as here is the solution for you. In such circumstances, changing the flight is the only option left behind you. Nearly all airlines offer you this opportunity to change your flight for any apparent reason. This could be a great initiative by the airlines, as it will help several passengers. But before changing the flight, you need to pay some extra bucks to the airline and change your next flight accordingly.

Know About the Airlines with a Same-Day Change Policy

Some airlines offer same-day flight change opportunities to the passengers. You need to look after those flights and book your ticket. Changing flights is an outstanding option for the passengers who want to reach their destination early even though they have a flight ticket of a different day or time.

So, if you are one such passenger who wants to change their flight, they can go for the policy of that particular airline. Here is the flight change policy of some respective airlines that you should learn.

1. Alaska Airlines

Cost: Alaska Airlines offer two different flight change fees for same-day change. Some destinations provide flight change costs. For example, if you are traveling between Anchorage and Fairbanks, Seattle and Portland or Seattle and Spokane, and the flights within California, you have to pay $25 for the same-day flight change. However, if you are on standby, you do not have to give any amount.

Rules: You can effortlessly change your flight earlier or later to your original flight. But ensure that you need to apply for the flight change within the scheduled departure of your original flight. Also, if you booked your flight ticket as a vacation package, you are not eligible for the change.

Fee waivers: Alaska Airlines waive the passengers' fees if they are MVP Gold Mileage Plan members. In addition, you do not have to pay any amount if you are traveling in F and D (first class) and Y and Z (economy class) fares.

2. Delta Airlines

Cost: Delta Airlines offer the same-day flight change opportunity to the passengers traveling within the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. For the flight change, you have to pay $75, where the basic economy fares are not eligible.

Rules: The airline is offering you the same-day flight within 24 hours of your new requested flight. Also, there should be no route change for the flight. Delta Airlines will consider your flight change if you apply for it 24 hours within the flights' scheduled departure of your original flight. Standby is not allowed for the passengers traveling to and from Canada.

Fee Waivers: If you are a Gold, Platinum, and Diamond Medallion member, you do not have to pay any flight change amount. This opportunity is for standby passengers where Gold, Platinum, and Diamond Medallion SkyMiles members do not have to pay extra.

Read More: Delta Airlines Flight Change

3. Frontier Airlines

Cost: You can effortlessly change your Frontier Airlines flight for an amount of $99. For standby, the flight change is free of charge.

Rules: Frontier Airlines provides you the facility to change your flight to alternate airports. The alternates that are included in the flight change are:

Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) & West Palm Beach (PBI) FL
Washington Dulles (IAD) and Washington National (DCA)
Los Angeles (LAX) & Orange County/Santa Ana (SNA), CA
Madison (MSN) & Milwaukee (MKE) WI
Orlando (MCO) & Tampa (TPA), FL
Chicago-O'Hare Airport (ORD), IL & Milwaukee (MKE), WI
New York La Guardia (LGA) NY, Trenton (TTN) NJ, & Philadelphia (PHL) PA
Orange County/Santa Ana (SNA) & San Diego (SAN), CA
Orlando (MCO) & St. Augustine (UST), FL

4. American Airlines

Cost: You can go for the same-day flight change within the US, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands for $75. Also, the price is the same for passengers traveling to Canada and the Caribbean. However, for both countries, standby is not allowed. Passengers traveling between New York-JFK and London-Heathrow have to pay $150 for the same-day standby.

Rules: American Airlines put up the rules that passengers should confirm flights up to 24 hours before the new flight's scheduled departure. Also, your new flight should be of the same route as your original flight. In addition, American Airlines do not allow primary economy tickets for same-day confirmed or standby travel.

Fee Waivers: If you are a member of AAdvantage Executive Platinum and Platinum Pro status and flying on unrestricted economy fares in Y class, you are waived for both the confirmed changes and standby fees. Also, for an award ticket, you do not have to pay any extra amount. Furthermore, first-class and AirPass are also exempted from the same-day flight change fees and standby.

The standby fees of American Airlines are waived for the members of American Airlines who booked their flight tickets from AAdvantage Gold status or higher. Also, they do not have to pay any amount if they belong to Oneworld Emerald, Sapphire, or Ruby status. In addition, standby fees are exempted for active-duty US military personnel and active US military dependents.

5. Hawaiian Airlines

Cost: The flight change is free of charge with many restrictions.

Rules: The services of Hawaiian Airlines are frequent. If you are a Pualani Gold or Platinum elite member, you can standby for an earlier flight. Also, if you are a corporate customer who has booked your flight ticket from the official web portal of Hawaiian Airlines, you can go on standby.

6. JetBlue Airlines

Cost: For Blue or Blue plus passengers, JetBlue asks to submit an amount of $75 for changing the flight to the same-day flight. If somehow, a same-day flight ticket is not available, you can go for standby. For Standby, JetBlue asks $75 from the passengers. The change fee can be waived for Flex fares and Mosaic members.

Rules: The basic rule of JetBlue airlines is that passengers need to change their flight before the scheduled departure of the original flight. After this time interval, the passengers will not benefit from the flight change. So, to change your flight, you can visit the official website of JetBlue or contact the customer representative to change your flight. Also, you can get the facility to change your flight at the airport.

Fee Waivers: For Flex fares and Mosaic elites, you do not have to pay any extra amount for changing your JetBlue flight. Same-day flight change is entirely free for these members.

7. Southwest Airlines

Cost: The best part about Southwest Airlines is that it does not ask for any fee for changing your flight.

Rule: There are times when the original flight fare is more than the new one. In such cases, you have to provide the remaining fee at the time of changing your flight. However, if the original flight fare is less than the new one, Southwest Airlines will offer you the remaining amount as an eVoucher that you can access to purchase your next Southwest flight ticket.

Fee Waivers: You will get free same-day standby if you are A-List and A-List Preferred members of the Rapid Rewards frequent flyer program.

8. Spirit Airlines

Cost: Sprit Airlines ask for some amount if you want to change your flight. You need to pay $99 for the same-day flight change. The amount is similar for both the same-day regular and standby passengers.

Rule: For changing your flight, you need to do it before the flight's scheduled departure of your original flight. Doing the change process after this time will not give you any benefit. It will be better to apply for a change in the given time frame.

Fee Waiver: All the passengers need to provide the change fee as it is compulsory for changing your flight.

9. United Airlines

Cost: United Airlines offer some change fee if you want to change your flight. The change fee is $75 for a same-day flight change. Also, for standby, you do not have to pay any extra amount.

Rules: The fare of the new flight should match with the fares of the next flight. If there is a difference in the fare, passengers need to fill the gap. If the flight fare of the original one is higher than the new one, you have to give the remaining amount to United Airlines. If the flight fare is inexpensive than the original one, United Airlines will provide you with the remaining amount as an eVoucher. The same rule is there for the award tickets. The significant advantage you will get here is keeping the exact departure and destination cities, but you can change the route.

Fee Waivers: For some members, United Airlines waives the fee. So, it would help if you were a member of MileagePlus Premier Gold, Premier Platinum, and 1K. This is the only condition after which United Airlines will waive the change fee.

Tips to Change Your Flight on the Same Day

If you plan to change your flight on the same day, you need to look after specific tips. The tips will help you to change your flight effectively with low cost and more advantages. So, here are all the primary tips that you should consider before changing your flight.

Act smartly and quickly

Some airlines are there that will allow you to change your same-day flight. Also, you can join the standby list. The only criteria for this are that you have to change your flight 24 hours within your new flight's scheduled departure. So, follow this rule and proceed further to change your flight with a minimum cost. Moreover, if you are a member of the airline award program or any other special program, you will get the opportunity to change your fee for free. So, be in touch with the airline and get your flight change without any extra cost.

For flight delays, use in advance booking

Sometimes, flights get delayed. Due to this, airlines offer rescheduling. So, you can change the flight of your advance booking on the same day. You can do this for free. The airline will not ask for any amount in this case. If your original flight gets delayed for any weather or mechanical condition, you can ask for a same-day flight change. For such cases also, you do not have to pay any extra amount. Go to the website of airline and change your flight quickly.

Apply upgrades and change your flight

If you apply for an upgrade at the time of booking your flight ticket, you may get a better place in first-class if you booked your ticket in the economy class. Also, for a refundable flight ticket, you are eligible for same-day confirmed or standby travel without any additional cost.

If you booked a full-fare, refundable ticket, you have to check the cost of the alternative ticket on the same flight and other carriers. If the next flight you have to board is less expensive than the original one, you have to purchase that ticket and get the remaining amount of your original ticket.

Bottom Line

Reaching before time to the destination is one of the best feelings. You can get this feeling by changing your flight on the same day. Airlines offer changing flights to come home early to the passengers so that they can reach on time. You also have to provide some flight change fee that is compulsory to initiate the flight change process. Some airlines waive the flight change fee depending on some parameters. You must have understood all the parameters from the points mentioned above.