How I turned a schedule change into a better flight plan

Points and miles are an incredibly useful way to fly cheaply and comfortably. However, using them means you’ll often have fewer options if you buy your flight with cash. That’s because airlines release limited award availability, especially when it comes to popular dates and routes.

That means you may have to back off by flying at inconvenient times or with a complicated itinerary.

However, as my real-life example below shows, sometimes you can turn a disruption – in the form of a schedule change – into a comfortable trip. Here’s how I did it recently on a flight from Australia to Malaysia.

A wrong flight but possible

I’m from Australia and have plans to return home for my usual Christmas visit later this year. Since it’s a long way, I try to take a trip somewhere in Australia or the Asia-Pacific region to make it a two-for-one trip.

I’ve been sitting on a stash of Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles for a few years now, and they have a hard expiration date of 36 months from when they’re earned (or transferred through the banking system, in my case). Mine was due to expire in February 2025, and I needed to find a way to redeem them so I could travel next year. So, when I got a business class seat on a connecting flight from Melbourne, Australia, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, via Singapore, I jumped at it.

However, the flight I booked does not have a very good departure time of 7 am Also, the flight is not available on a normal day; from New Year’s Day. Needless to say, I don’t think I would have been in the best shape after the previous festivals. Then came the welcome break that would help expand my options: a schedule change.

2 schedule changes

It is common for airlines to adjust their schedules before departure to accommodate flight, demand and route changes.

A month ago, I received emails from Singapore Airlines informing me of two schedule changes.

The first delayed my arrival time in Kuala Lumpur by just five minutes. This seemed reasonable, so I accepted the changes.

The second brought my departure time from Melbourne forward by five minutes to 6:55 a.m. That’s when I thought, “I wonder if I should try my luck by asking to switch to a later flight that day. That’s definitely not going to work.” Well, I was wrong.

Using the schedule change to my advantage

Generally, there needs to be a “significant” schedule adjustment in order to be able to rebook on another flight. It varies by airline, but generally, your departure or arrival time needs to change by at least one hour, or a non-stop flight needs to change to a connecting flight. (United Airlines is one of the most generous carriers, offering rebooking for changes as short as 30 minutes.)

The email I received said I could either accept the change or call the airline to discuss alternatives. So, I did some research in advance and chose my ideal flight, which would take off about four hours later than the airline originally proposed – at a respectable 10:35 am – and cut my connecting time in Singapore in half from three hours to 90 minutes.

While that won’t give me much time to enjoy the excellent Singapore Airlines lounges at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN), it makes for a quick trip. And if I happen to be delayed on the first leg of my journey, I’ll rest easy knowing I can hop on the latest flight on the Singapore-to-Kuala Lumpur corridor, the world’s busiest international route.

I explained to the agent that the schedule change – that five-minute schedule change – no longer applied to my travel plans, and I wanted to switch to a later flight. I gave him the exact flight numbers and departure times of the two flights I wanted to be on.

Even if there was no Saver-level award availability on those flights, it increased my case; after 23 minutes on the phone, the new plan was sent to my email.

Bottom line

What constitutes a “significant” schedule change often varies between airlines — and, of course, customer service agents — but you should still try to change your flights for a more comfortable trip.

Related: What to do if an airline changes your flight

My advice is to keep an eye on your email for any schedule changes, make the agent’s job easier by researching your ideal itinerary before you contact them, be polite and be willing to hear no.

After all, you’ll never know unless you try.

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