Airline Illogic

I had a bunch of travel that all bunched up recently, resulting in so many reservations that it is hard to follow, especially with airline logic.  

I had booked DC to Phoenix (to visit Spo), then onto Orange County California for a conference and home via Chicago.  Then Cousin Bill died and the memorial service was scheduled in Detroit.  So I call the airline to change this to DC, to Detroit (via Philly), Detroit to Phoenix and the rest of the trip stayed the same.  $575 later that was booked, only $50 less than what it would have cost to abandon the original $600 ticket and start over.  

Then I needed to go to Florida for an issue on Dad's estate.  So I called to try to change the ticket to go, DC to Orlando, Orlando to Detroit, then the rest of the trip stays the same.  This comes back at $775.  You have got to be kidding. and the routing had me flying DC to Orlando, and Orlando to Philly with the rest of the trip unchanged.  The answer was, any change automatically triggers "repricing" of the entire ticket.  In other words they were going to increase the price of flights I had already booked and paid for.  

I said no, so I flew to DC to Orlando on Wednesday and back to DC Thursday afternoon.  I really wanted to be in Florida on Friday morning - but not $775 worth.  I arrived home 18 hours before I was due to leave for Philly on my way to Detroit. I was only in Florida for only about 18 hours.  This only cost $350.  

Then I get a call, the flight from DC to Philly is delayed and I am going to miss my connection to Detroit.  All of a sudden changes are free, no repricing of the rest of the trip. 

A friend of mine used to say, he didn't mind being screwed but he liked to be kissed first.  The airlines don't kiss, they just charge, unless it is their need for a change - then all of sudden it does not cost extra to change my ticket.  Oh and the new flight left late enough on Friday night, that I could have easily taken Friday afternoon flight from Orlando back to DC, picked up my bag and rechecked it for the trip to Detroit.  

And airlines, wonder why we sometimes hate them. 

Have you ever thrown away an airline ticket because it was cheaper to buy a new one than change the old one?