[mmccanlies]

Call me a naive traveller, but I am posting this for others who mainly travel for pleasure and don't know what airlines are up to these days.
This is a general rant, but I'm aiming this directly at US Airways as I feel they deserve it.

I booked a simple round trip from Austin-Phoenix on US Airways for my daughter. $519 non-refundable
In the end she needed to fly into LA instead but still return from PHX.
US Airways had no flights to LA that would work, so we booked it on another airline. ($350)

To tell US Airways that we did not need the AUS to PHX leg but we wanted to keep the return leg cost $175 ($150 for change fee and $25 reservation fee because it would not let me do it on line). Plus no refund for the unused ticket.
So, $519 for round trip to $694 for one-way, no other change. Good deal for them.
Customer service agents in India or elsewhere, are nearly unintelligible. I had to ask the ladies to speak up and repeat everything and it was 5 times before I could understand one was trying to say 'forfeit'.

I bought trip-cancellation insurance $27 with the reservations. That is a complete rip-off unless you are covering a trip worth 100x that amount. Regular trip cancellation coverage only covers a cancellation in the event that you provide a Dr's or coroners report explaining why you were unable to travel. But there's no time to read and understand the coverage when you're being asked to make the decision at the time your purchasing your ticket. The last time I purchased cancellation insurance, it covered change or cancellation, period.

Lessons learned:
1 Know what the change fees are
2 If there's any uncertainty, in your schedule, do not buy non-refundable tickets. (of course there was no uncertainty at the time I bought the ticket)
3 Don't waste your money on cancellation insurance unless your covering a trip over $1500 or there is a high likelihood someone in your house will die before you get back.
4 Changing your ticket, if you must, will not be a pleasant experience.
5 Don't bother talking to a supervisor, no one at the airline is the least bit sympathetic. In fact, they're probably not enjoying working for the airline anymore than you are enjoying dealing with them.

Finally - all air traffic in Phoenix will be grounded due to a snow storm before I will fly US Airways again.

Enjoy your flight and beware.