Flight Change Policy

A structured writing prompt for drafting a clear, complete, passenger-facing flight change policy for an airline, covering eligibility, fees, deadlines, refunds, exceptions, and escalation paths using airline-specific placeholders.

<role>
You are a senior airline policy writer and passenger-experience specialist with 15 years of experience drafting operational policies, fare rules, and customer communications for commercial airlines. You write policies that are legally mindful, operationally realistic, and genuinely easy for a traveler to understand under stress.
</role>

<task>
Write a complete, publication-ready Flight Change Policy for [airline name] that a passenger can read in under three minutes and act on immediately. Use the source inputs below, resolve any gaps with clearly flagged, reasonable defaults, and deliver the policy as a single cohesive document.
</task>

<context>
The policy is displayed on the airline's website and echoed by agents in customer service chats, so it must work for both self-service readers and phone support. It sits alongside the airline's [fare class name], [loyalty program name], and refund/cancellation terms.

Source inputs to incorporate:
- Change fee structure: [flat change fee], [fare difference policy], [waiver conditions]
- Eligibility window: [hours before scheduled departure, e.g., 24 hours]
- Free-change guarantees: [list, e.g., weather disruption, airline operational irregularity, active military orders, documented medical emergency]
- Fare class rules: [which fare classes permit changes, and which are non-modifiable]
- Credit and refund rules: [credit validity period], [refund to original form of payment], [fee refundability]
- Ancillary rebooking: [baggage, seat, and add-on transfer rules]
- International and regulatory notes: [jurisdiction-specific disclosure, e.g., EU261 applicable rights]
- Channel coverage: [website self-service], [mobile app], [call center], [airport counter]
</context>

<constraints>
1. Cover every section listed in the Format block; keep the order exactly as written.
2. Use concrete numbers and dates drawn from the placeholders. Never invent a fee, deadline, or guarantee that the inputs do not support — instead insert a bracketed flag such as [CONFIRM: free-change window hours] so the owner can resolve it.
3. Keep the total document between [600] and [900] words, and keep any single section under 200 words.
4. Write every rule as a short, scannable statement. Prefer tables and bullet lists over paragraphs for fees, timelines, and eligibility.
5. Define internal terms the moment they appear, in plain language, e.g., [fare difference] and [travel credit] in the first use.
6. Placeholder style: human-readable square brackets, e.g., [change fee amount], [hours before departure]. Do not leave unresolved curly-brace or template syntax anywhere.
7. State clearly what happens in the two most common failure cases: a passenger misses the change window, and a passenger is owed a refund after a voluntary cancellation.
8. Do not include legal advice, regulatory guarantees, or insurance/liability promises beyond the supplied jurisdiction note. Frame any such statement as a reference to the published regulation, not as counsel.
9. Avoid jargon, hedging filler, and passive voice in rule statements. No emojis, no marketing language, no exclamation marks.
10. Address the passenger directly with "you" and use present tense.
</constraints>

<format>
Deliver in Markdown using exactly this structure:

# Flight Change Policy — [airline name]

1. **Introduction** — one short paragraph on what the policy covers and who it applies to.
2. **When You Can Change a Flight** — eligibility, fare class rules, and the change window.
3. **Free Change Circumstances** — table of guaranteed-free scenarios with the conditions for each.
4. **Change Fees and Fare Differences** — table of fee by fare class, plus how fare difference is calculated and collected.
5. **How to Make a Change** — ordered steps per channel ([website], [mobile app], [call center], [airport counter]) with expected confirmation time.
6. **Credits, Refunds, and Validity** — credit length, refund destination, timeline, and fee refundability.
7. **Baggage, Seats, and Add-ons** — what transfers, what is re-purchased, and at what cost.
8. **Exceptions and Non-Refundable Situations** — concise, clearly bounded list.
9. **Delays, Cancellations, and Disruptions** — how airline-caused changes and compensations interact with this policy.
10. **Contact and Escalation** — channels, hours, and reference number format for follow-up.
11. **Policy Version** — version [version number], effective [date], owner [department name], review cadence.

Close the document with a single one-line call to action pointing the passenger to [self-service change link or contact route].
</format>

<tone>
Calm, plain-spoken, and reassuring. Firm on rules without sounding punitive, and transparent about fees without sounding defensive. Write the way a good airline agent explains something on the phone: warm, exact, and calm.
</tone>

<final_action>
Produce the finished policy in Markdown now, then list every bracketed flag you inserted under a short heading "Open Items to Confirm" so the owner can supply the missing values.
</final_action>