Airport - Can I do this?

[RedFam]

I haven't book my airlines yet for Nov. 2007 cruise because I haven't made up my mind what airport we are departing. I saw a good airfare going out of San Francisco to FLL. I prefer to leave @ San Jose Airport but its about $100 per ticket more than SFO. My question is, can I book SFO for their latest and maybe go to SJC in the morning to see if I can leave there instead??? I know its a dumb question but I was wondering can I do this? I mean its the same airlines and I was wondering if I can take the earliest flight in SJC instead of the latest in SFO eventhough we are booked in SFO? I know there might be some fee but hopefully not more than $100 each ticket. Has anybody done this? Book on a different airport and then go to another to catch a better flight?

 

Okay flame me now, I can take it. :D

[cmaasfamily]

No flame, just an opinion. Most airlines consider SFO and SJC "co-terminals" meaning you can fly out of one and into the other on a round trip ticket, for example (instead of an "open jaw", or two one ways tickets). BUT, most discount tickets don't allow a change to the outbound flight at all or require penalties and fare changes. Unless you are at an elite level in the airlines FF program you generally can't standby on the outbound without paying a change fee as well and I think the airport change would probably kill it anyway. (Or at a minimum confuse an agent for so long that you'd miss any flight you wanted to catch anyway.)

 

So, if you have the time to kill and want to swing by SJC on your way to SFO, there's no harm in asking. Just don't get your hopes up!

[AF-1]

Why don't you call the airline and ask them about switching airports? They probably will tell you, that whatever airport you decide to depart from, thats the one you will have to buy the ticket out of. Maybe they will cut you a deal and sell you a ticket out of SJC, but for the price of a ticket out of SFO. You never know unless you ask. I don't know if I would want the hassle of trying to switch airports on departure day. I can see trying to get on an earlier flight out of the same airport, but not changing airports. You goal should be a hassle free vacation.

Cheers,

[RedFam]

Thank you for the advise. SJC and SFO is only 40 minutes away from each other. I'll try to go to SJC early and see if I can get away with it, if not oh well, at least we tried and we still have time to be drop off to SFO. Lucky us we are only minutes away from SJC airport. I'll drive to SFO to save $400 on airfare. But if anybody out there have done this let me know the outcome and how much is the fee? :rolleyes:

[negc]

Why not save your self the hassle and call the airline with your question? Given all the difficulties involved in flying these days and the fact that airlines are quick to charge fees for changes and all sorts of things nowadays, it hardly seems worth doing what you plan without some assurance that you will be successful.:confused:

[Rudi610]

Honestly, if it costs $100 more to fly out of SJC than from SFO, I doubt the airline will let you fly standby from SJC for the price of an SFO ticket, without coughing up more cash. And if you wait until the day of the flight, they are more than likely to charge you the walk up fare to do this, which could cost hundreds more. If you really want to fly out of SJC, then fork over the extra money for it now. The airlines are really picky about things like this and most likely won't let you do it (without paying more -- probably more than the $100 difference it is now).

[yogimax]

Why not save your self the hassle and call the airline with your question?

 

Exactly!!!!

[Schplinky]

I've done this in DC. I was booked from National but went to Dulles in the a.m. and they switched me with no fee because the National flight was overbooked anyway. Like Bill, though, I would call and ask. Trouble is, the people on the phoens never seem as flexible as the people at the desk at the airport.

[Glama]

I tried to do this once between Buffalo and Rochester on USAir, they would not let me. We stuck with our original plan, which was fine too, obviously.