Dave,
Asking to speak to a manager over an issue like this will get you exactly what happened. Managers don't come to the phone for minor issues such as a change fee. I'm sorry if you feel this is blunt or rude as it's not meant to be. This is just a fact. An agent, if they feel it warranted, has the power to waive fees, at least they did when I worked. I was a supervisor and I encouraged my staff to make their own decisions as I had other things to do besides going round and round with a customer about a change fee.
It's sad that just about every single airline charges a change fee on restricted tickets but this is a HUGE moneymaker for the industry. Literally, billions of dollars a year. They will not go away and are rarely waived anymore. But as I said earlier, an agent can waive them if the situation seems to warrant it.
I believe WN (Southwest) has a very liberal change policy. They may be worth investigating for your next travels.
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