Can I decline an alternative ticket handed at an airline's check-in counter in case of an emergency?

Question

Often I book a return ticket with a transit, and then ditch only the route from the transit to the destination of the return flight. In other words, I get off at the transit place only in the return flight.

However, I have an experience of being handed a direct ticket in case of an emergency, even though the original ticket included a transit. For example, my original ticket was from Seoul to Tokyo with Shanghai as a transit, but since the flight operated by China Eastern was delayed for some reasons, I was instructed to get on a flight operated by Korean Air to directly go to Tokyo.

At that time, I didn't plan to get off at Shanghai, so it was not a problem. However, now I wonder if it is possible to decline the alternative ticket handed at the check-in counter. I usually book an onward ticket as well as my room in advance before stating that I like to get off at the transit airport; even the airline staff told me that I must state it at the check-in counter since they don't accept it via a phone call or email in advance.

So can I decline the alternative ticket? If not, is it the airline or I that should book another ticket that can get me off at the transit airport?

Answer 1

A ticket is a contract with the airline that they will get you from A to B; if they offer to do that (by any reasonable route, without a substantial delay) and you refuse, they likely don't have any further obligations to you. You can either take the alternative flight, or refuse it and make your own way.

If you got a refundable or changeable ticket or the replacement ticket would get you to B significantly later than your original ticket, you might be able to change or cancel it for a refund, depending on the exact terms and applicable laws.

Answer 2

In this case, the contract was from A to B to C and the airline offered an alternative of A to C. You can always refuse an offer of an alternative, (ie overbooking etc.) but if the original is no simply no longer available to you and you still refuse the alternative, then the airlines liability is limited to non-provision of the original service.

Common sense when offered an alternative that isn't convenient is to say it isn't convenient and discuss other options. "I have a reason to go to B but I can live with being late. Maybe you can get me a later flight to B and upgrade me from B to C?" The airline will usually try to look after you but don't expect a free round-the-world ticket because a flight was late taking off. It is a negotiation where both sides would like to end up happy, but are only going to try so hard.

Don't demand your rights or insist on special treatment or you will just discourage the person you are negotiating with from trying to help you. Service personnel have been through this before and will be again. They know your rights better then you do and they know how many people they will have to deal with after you. They do want to help you but a surprising number of people don't seem to realize that when you are rude or annoying to service personnel, they stop wanting to help you and start wanting to get rid of you.