Originally Posted by BKS air Transport
I would argue that you are not better off checking in 28 days in advance.[...] As soon as you have checked in you cannot amend your booking, so if for any reason you need to make a change, say due to last minute illness,[...] you will lose your money and have to re-book from scratch. I know, I've done it!
Does not aways work like that BKS. True once you have checked in online, you can't amend your booking.
But surely in the case of illness , or other valid reason, you would have taken out travel insurance to cover cancellation.
Also if you booked early the chances are that amending a booking within 28 days will be to costly to worth doing.
So so long as you are insured, best think is to cancel and claim of insurance, and no claims lost years after will not be as much as changing a flight at the last minute in many cases.
There is a change fee of £27-50 each way,(correct when is did it) plus any difference between the price you paid, and the current price.
So imagine what that could cost with group/family of 4.
8X27.50 (Both ways) + say 4 times difference at say £50 each way = £400, and that is considerable.
I used to think a little like you, until I got stung changing a name.