I am looking at booking PEK-HKG-LAX in mid-August in KA and CX First. Searching for availability of the HKG-LAX leg on JAL and BA websites shows the 9:30 and 12:55 departures with available seats, but not the 16:30. The afternoon departure would be ideal so that I wouldn't have to catch an early-morning flight out of PEK and would also arrive at LAX at a reasonable enough hour to connect to domestic flights back to my hometown.
If I were to book, say, the 12:55 departure now, and then change to the 16:30 flight (plus a later PEK-HKG flight) if/when availability opens up, it is my understanding that there should be no change fees associated.
However, what happens if I make this change within 21 days of my scheduled departure in mid-August? I've read up on the $75 fee close-in fee a bit, including in this forum, and still am not sure if it applies to my situation. For instance, this source seems to indicate the 21 days is counted from when the booking was made:
http://upgrd.com/mike/changing-or-ca...nes-award.html
And directly from AA's website:
"Changes to your outbound travel date, resulting in a departure within 21 days -
A $75 USD award processing charge will apply for a confirmed change to the date on an AAdvantage MileSAAver and AAnytime award ticket if the change results in a new outbound travel date that is within 21 days of the original booking date (waived for AAdvantage Executive PlatinumAAdvantage Platinum and AAdvantage Gold members using miles from their account)."
So am I completely fee-free?
If I were to book, say, the 12:55 departure now, and then change to the 16:30 flight (plus a later PEK-HKG flight) if/when availability opens up, it is my understanding that there should be no change fees associated.
However, what happens if I make this change within 21 days of my scheduled departure in mid-August? I've read up on the $75 fee close-in fee a bit, including in this forum, and still am not sure if it applies to my situation. For instance, this source seems to indicate the 21 days is counted from when the booking was made:
http://upgrd.com/mike/changing-or-ca...nes-award.html
And directly from AA's website:
"Changes to your outbound travel date, resulting in a departure within 21 days -
A $75 USD award processing charge will apply for a confirmed change to the date on an AAdvantage MileSAAver and AAnytime award ticket if the change results in a new outbound travel date that is within 21 days of the original booking date (waived for AAdvantage Executive PlatinumAAdvantage Platinum and AAdvantage Gold members using miles from their account)."
So am I completely fee-free?
