Refund Policies on Airline Tickets

Nobody makes plans for travel with the expectation that they will have to cancel their trip.  Whether flying for business or pleasure, most people expect to keep the plans they make and arrive at their destination as expected. 

However, sometimes the unexpected does occur and people are forced to change their plans or cancel a trip entirely.  This is where it can get a bit tricky in getting money back for your airline ticket.  Airlines sometimes make getting a refund or even changing your ticket difficult and expensive.  Not only are the individual airlines involved but there are also booking agents online from popular sites such as Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz that have their own cancellation policies.  Since booking travel online from these sites is increasingly popular, it is important to know the refund and change policies for each site.

Each airline and each online booking site has different rules pertaining to refunds and cancellations.  Not only do they have certain rules and restrictions but there are also unique rules for certain types of tickets.  Sometimes there are stricter rules for discount or free tickets than if you paid full price for a ticket.  For example, there are tickets that, if purchased between particular times or days, are made available at a greatly reduced price.  Sometimes these tickets are non refundable and non exchangeable.  Before purchasing a ticket and committing to it, ask what the cancellations and refund policies are or research via the Internet what the cancellation and refund policies are.  You never know what might happen that will cause an unavoidable change in your plans.

Most airlines and online booking sites offer a refund in full or for a small fee if the airline ticket is cancelled within twenty four hours of booking.  Although the cost of the airline ticket may be refunded in full, there may be a handling or booking fee that is still charged.  This can range anywhere from five dollars to thirty five dollars depending on the site and the airline ticket type.  Often this convenience charge is a small price to pay in comparison to the ticket cost but it can still be rather annoying when you have received no use from the ticket at all. 

If you cancel after twenty four hours, this is where refund and change fees can get more difficult.  Many sites will not allow a cancellation of the ticket at all, especially on discount tickets.  If that occurs, the ticket will be lost as well as any amount that was paid for it.  Other sites will allow a change, sometimes for an additional fee of up to one hundred dollars.  Then the ticket must be used for travel within a certain time frame.  This can add expense as well as inconvenience to the traveler who had to change plans.  A way to avoid this for a minimal fee, though, is to use travel insurance.  Often the fees for travel insurance are much less than the cancellation fees and you will get a full refund for the price of the airline ticket.