i know people say as long as you sound confident they'll do it no problem etc etc but i called a couple times without any luck. i then decided to make some good out of boeings nightmare...
got myself switched to a dreamliner flight, and then called in that i wouldn't fly on it bec of safety concerns. cancelled, no questions, no charges, no problem.
if you're on a different route, you'll need to pay $75 for the change, but it still beats $150