The primary way to avoid paying a change fee on an airplane ticket is to change or cancel the ticket within a day of booking your trip.
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And abolishing change fees made it easier for airlines to raise fares on fee-free tickets – while leaving you the option of buying a cheaper ticket that cannot be changed at any price. So few people were flying that airlines finally realized that change fees angered passengers.
Read the hotel's cancellation policy to ensure that you understand how they typically handle cancelled reservations. Determine if your cancellation is subject to the fee based on how the policy is written. Call the hotel to ask for a refund or ask to waive the fee. Explain why you were unable to keep your reservations.
If you purchased a round-trip flight and need to change the first leg to a different day, your best bet will likely be to pay the change fee and book a new flight. If you only need to change the return portion of a round trip, however, it may be cheaper to book a new one-way flight than to pay the cancellation fee.
If you purchase a ticket that is an unrestricted fare, you can make changes to your flight with no change fee (based on seat availability). However, an additional collection of fare may apply.
Every major U.S. airline (except Southwest Airlines) typically charges penalty fees to change or cancel an economy fare flight. The fees, however, can vary from as low as $75 on a domestic flight to more than $400 on an international flight.
A non-refundable ticket may cost less, but if you need to make changes you'll be charged a change fee and any difference in fare. If you buy a Basic Economy fare, changes are not allowed.
With few exceptions, basic economy fares cannot be changed nor canceled. That's crucial – not only if you're worried your plans might change, but it also means you can't rebook your flights if prices drop. That alone could make it worth paying an extra $60 or so roundtrip to avoid basic economy.
Airlines prefer the high change fees for reasons both obvious and less so. The obvious reason is the money. The less obvious reason is that change fees “protect” revenue and help airlines keep their planes as full as possible (achieving “higher load factors,” in the jargon).
Fares with no change fees are useful for passengers who need the flexibility (they may have to change their plans), but there's no magic trick which will give you an expensive ticket for less. There is no such thing as a free lunch with airline tickets.
Many airlines have removed change fees however there are still many airlines that charge you to make any adjustments to your flight. This can range between $30 to $100+. In most cases, you'll also need to pay the fare difference between your original flight and your new flight.