Rawtenstall - £40 for an extra 3 hours with my family seems far from unreasonable in comparison to what it could have been. But that is my thoughts - and this is key, it is all about what time is worth to the individual.
Out of interest, £40 is the standard administration fee which had you been on a New Economy booking which costs about £20 odd extra at the booking stage and includes a bag, SMS and seat you would have been able to change free of charge. It would only have been the fare difference to pay which it sounds like was £0 on this occasion.
Airlines will not just allow changes willy nilly free of charge to everyone. Hotel Tango gives an excellent example- another would be Mr A books a flight 2 months in advance and gets a lower price. Mr B books a later flight the same day and it costs 3 times the amount as its much busier. Mr A changes on the day and gets on the same flight as Mr B for no extra. Mr B is not amused.
Unfortunately the staff will not take in to consideration any previous delays unless maybe, you were on a day return ticket and your first flight had a significant delay. But that is up to the airline. I wouldnt mind getting my wallet out and saying of all the flights you have taken, the number on time or early will outweigh the delays - they just do not stick out in memory compared to those which caused an inconvenience. Its like anything - the bad leaves a sour taste, not the good.
Last edited by Cloud1; 9th Apr 2013 at 21:58.