I cancelled my afternoon flight (PHL-IAH) and rebooked a 5:38am one which left without a hitch, though I am surprised at how "closed" the Philadelphia airport was at 4am. We did not even get a functional security line until nearly 4:40am, a mere 20 minutes before we boarded. By that time the security line was all the way to the parking garage door.

I can't really tell if any flights were cancelled, but according to the CO screens this morning at IAH, incoming flights from PHL were at least delayed a few hours.

Everyone would have loved to have seen at least one shop open so they could grab a drink or something, but the entire place was down for the count.

I was surprised that you were charged $200 for the change of flight. I will be on 1776 to PHL this evening. So far, both 1676 and 1776 are still operating, with 1476 and 1576 (the one supposed to turn around as 1077) canceled.

Good for you to be at home now watching the Weather Channel.

I was a little surprised myself, but when I think about it - every time I haven't been charged in a similar situation - I had elite status.

As of today, I have no elite status. I wonder if that had anything to do with it? My original itinerary was only $212 - and they automatically reissue as a "Y", so I don't know.

It sounds like the storm did not hit PHL as hard as I thought it would. Oh well, no worries, I was home and logged into the network by 10am and actually got something done.

Most of my co-workers opted not to come in the office today, and those that did left around 1pm because they feared the roads would only get worse. I just hope this is it for the season!

Have a safe flight out.

~Steve

see here:http://www.continental.com/web/en-US...21056C51AA3152

PHL was included maybe it wasnt up when you were Smart enough to have teh sense to get out before you werent able to or before that flight might have become Full.

If I was you Id call CO Not today but tommorrow or Sun and explain you held off calling so that those who had to get the info on their flights or rebooked were able to,. But that you feel that you shouldnt have been charged the $200 fee since 1 free change was allowed. If they hit you with but You did so befoer hand, so Id say why should I be charged for having known what was to happen. Maybe you can get them to at least issue you a Voucher for the $200 off a future flight.

I wouldnt let it go, as long as they have PHL down on their advisory as they do. It doesnt say the same fare basis only the same class, which is coach in your case and thats how you were tkted and flew in the end.

Part of the problem may have been you were rebooked on a Y fare. I changed my flight today because of the weather in EWR. The one I wanted was Y fare. I would have been charged the difference in cost. I opted for a flight two hours earlier in U and did not have to pay any difference.

... I will let everyone know how it turns out. I should warn you though, I don't get many breaks from ol Onepass.

~S

This doesn't make sense to me.... If I had booked a ticket weeks in advance and snagged an X-fare and subsequently got caught up in this mess, surely CO can't expect me to only re-book on another available X-fare to avoid fees? That could be weeks out.

Anyone else have any experiences to share?

The customer reps are telling me that my re-booking would have been "lost revenue" for Continental, had they not charged me.

She went on to detail the difference between the X and Y fares and all the restrictions and I asked her if she considered me to be:

(1) a customer

or

(2) a lawyer.

She told me there is nothing they can do.

I am on hold with another customer service rep right now. After reading the Winter Storm notice from them, it's incredible that they are holding me to this. Not to mention that I have *SIX* RT trips booked and paid for right now.

Wow.

~Steve

how did Pyrenees know you were charged $200? i don't see a reference go a change fee in the first post.

See his post #9 here http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=671616

Had it not been a case of weather problems , I would have no problem with CO wanting to charge whatever its fees are to confirm a different flight . Since there was NorEaster heading in, I think CO should simply wavier any and all fees in getting its passengers out. Especially as the OP didnt even make a change of date of their flight.

It leaves a very Sour taste in my mouth as there is no guanrantee that the next time it wont be Me or anyone else here on FT that will be held hostage to these fees and not knowing when the next flight will be available in the same fare basis as booked.

These are the exact rules:

Change fees and/or additional fare collection will be waived if the rescheduled flights are booked in the original class of service to the same city pairs as originally ticketed and rescheduled travel commences on or before March 23, 2007.

If the new travel commences after March 23, 2007, change fees will be waived, however, additional fare collection will apply.

I failed to mention that I changed from MCO to TPA. I'm not sure if that is the reason I would have been charged for the Y flight. But the OP didn't change cities.

This is my complaint about PHL even when the weather is fine: CO and the airport in general doesn't staff properly for this 1st flight of the day.

Ticket counter agents show-up 30-45 mins prior to departure and as you said, the security lines don't even open up until about 20 mins prior to departure. There's often a long line of people at the PHL ticket counters ...and then a just-as-long line at security. I wish CO would shift this flight later in the morning.

Can you invoke the "trip in vain" rule in situations like this, and just cancel (and get a refund) the itin altogether?

Follow up -

After trying to get through to a customer service supervisor all weekend, Sunday around noon I had success. Up until this point, every time the customer service rep would forward my call to a supervisor, it would ring about seven times and then dump me back in the "hold time 93 minutes" pool.

However, she explained to me this:

(a) My original flight had indeed been cancelled
(b) But that the cancellation happened much later in the day.
(c) And I had switched my flight a little too early to gain benefit from the customer re-accomodation policy statement.

I said, "So you are telling me I should have waiting until the disaster had begun, and then been stranded in Philly?"

"No, you made the right decision if your goal was to get to Houston on time. If your goal was to get a new ticket and not have to pay anything extra, you should have waited."

I know, I know - it was maddening to hear this described to me.

Instead of a refund, I was issued a credit for $200 that I can apply to a future itinerary.

I went ahead and filed my expenses today with the higher rate and explained to my boss I would apply the credit to one of my April flights.

A credit is fine with me - it balances things out for me, but it was a little nuts hearing how I "made a good decision" by acting early, but they would have punished me for it compared to what everyone else did.

"Think of the time I saved Continental by acting early - you did not have to deal with me being on a cancelled flight", I added.

All is well that ends well.

~S