Originally Posted by Bangkokeasy
I have found, for instance, that in Asia, it is usually possible to turn up for a flight other than that you are ticketed and booked for and you will get on with no extra penalty, as long as it is in the same class on the same airline and the flight is not full (I know this is a bit naughty
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Appreciate that in Europe and US, things are different.
It really all depends. On a recent trip to the US on a US carrier on a filthy cheap ticket where it said in the fare rules no changes possible, I was able to walk up and get on the next available flight, with no penalty, on two out of six sectors. One was the international flight back to the UK, which they had refused to change when I called up on the phone. I have found that sometimes they will enforce every rule, sometimes enforce rules which don't apply, and often waive rules one one day that they will enforce on another. Sometimes you just have to try and see what happens, though I suspect having status helps.