Travelocity, the company with the gnome touting a "Customer Bill of Rights" in its ads, claims on its website to have the "best service guarantee in the industry." While it may attempt to offer excellent customer service, as with any travel industry company, it has its rules and regulations. If you're a customer, breaking those rules may result in change fees. Avoiding change fees comes down to being aware of exactly what regulations Travelocity expects you to follow.
Set your dates before you book and stick to them. There are only two reasons that Travelocity will not charge a change fee: if the airline changes its schedule or massive weather conditions delay or cancel flights. For any other reason, Travelocity will charge a change fee of $30, plus whatever the difference is from the original airfare to the new one.
Spell your name correctly. After confirming your date, press "continue" at the bottom of the page. This will take you to a page called "Who is traveling?" The names you enter here match the identification you will use at the airport. Travelocity will charge $30 in addition to airline fees to change the name on a ticket--even if it is just a minor misspelling.
Fly on all portions of your scheduled itinerary. Sometimes there are better deals on longer flights with layovers at the destination of the place you want to go, so you may be tempted to book the cheaper flight and not re-board the original plane after the "layover." However, according to Travelocity policies, if you do not use a portion of the itinerary, the rest of the ticket becomes invalid. Travelocity will then charge $30, plus any extra airline charges, to reactivate the return trip--if it allows you to renew the ticket at all.
Reconfirm your flight. When taking international flights, you may need to re-confirm the flight 24 to 48 hours before departure. If you don't reconfirm, the airline can bump you from the flight. Despite it being out of your control, Travelocity will charge the $30 change fee for the new flight.
Know the rules of your reservation. Each ticket type has different rules restricting any changes made and fees applied. Read the rules associated with your ticket by scrolling down to "Review the Policies" under the "Review and Continue" section of the reservation process on Travelocity.
