How to cancel a plane ticket

No matter how long-awaited your trip is, sometimes you may be faced with the need to cancel it. A sudden recall from vacation, illness, a change in financial situation and other force majeure circumstances confuse tourists and make them think about how to return a plane ticket. Today we will look into this issue and tell you what needs to be done for this and what part of the ticket price you can count on.

The subtleties of the negotiations

We note right away that each airline sets its own rules for refusing purchased tickets. This is due to the fact that this issue is practically not regulated at the legislative level and allows carriers to independently establish the “rules of the game”.

Experienced customers are advised to specify the return policy at the time of purchase. For example, some carriers sell so-called. “Non-refundable travel cards”, it is always problematic to return even part of the cost of which. The only exception to this rule is the refusal of a passenger to fly due to the fault of the company, which may be in such cases as flight cancellation or delay, non-compliance with the level of service declared earlier, aircraft replacement, etc.

In all other cases, the delivery of the document is carried out according to the rules prescribed in the tariff. In rare cases, you can count on a full refund if you are the owner of a first or business class ticket, excursion or annual subscription. But you should not count on a refund of the full cost of an unused travel card, which was purchased at reduced rates.

Features of the procedure

Before going to the airport ticket office, you should be aware of the existing time restrictions on the return of purchased tickets. Most companies are ready to return the money paid for the flight, provided that the return is made:

In some cases, you can return your money even after the plane is in the sky. But those passengers who paid for the flight at a reduced rate should not count on the company's indulgence.

As soon as you realize that you will not be able to fly on the scheduled flight, you should immediately contact the airport ticket office. Please note that you need to contact the representative of the carrier company on which you planned to fly. In addition to the document itself, you need to have a passport with you and be ready to explain the reason for your refusal. For the return of an unused ticket, you are required to return either the entire cost minus a fine, or up to 50% of the price (it all depends on the type of ticket and the timing of its return). Although some airlines value their reputation and do not apply such sanctions.

If you paid for the flight through the site, then you should try to return your money through this web resource, and not seek the truth from the airline.

Take a look at the document itself. As a rule, it contains information about the procedure and terms of return. If the necessary information was not there, try to get an answer on the official website of the carrier. You can also contact the company by phone.

In the event that you bought a ticket from an agent, you should send him a statement informing him of your intention to cancel the flight. If the agent refuses to reimburse you for the cost of the document, contact the carrier directly.

How to return a ticket purchased online

If you decide to buy a ticket online on the site, you need to know about some of the nuances of such a refund. Firstly, you will not be able to return the entire cost. Secondly, the process of transferring the spent money back can take up to 3 months, and the money will go to the bank card with which the payment was made.

To avoid additional problems and not lose your money in case of force majeure, we advise you to use those online ticket offices that always meet customers and are ready to replace the ticket (for example, Aviakassy.com). Although even here it will not be possible to avoid paying mandatory fines.

From personal experience, I can add that it is always easier to negotiate a refund for a ticket with airlines directly, but then you should also buy tickets not through intermediaries or aggregator sites, but on the website of the air carrier itself. The reason for the return of funds in 100% of the volume must naturally be valid and supported by documents (for example, a certificate from a doctor if the trip is impossible in case of illness).

Correspondence

You can also use the air ticket correspondence service, the essence of which is that instead of returning the ticket to the client, the cost of the ticket is credited to another document.

So we figured out how to return a plane ticket. We hope that our information will allow you to avoid problems with air carriers and not lose the money spent.

Recommended for viewing How to book flights without payment.