Can you cancel flight at no cost in 24 hours?

dog_wont_eat_cucumber
dog_wont_eat_cucumber Posts: 7 Forumite
in Flights, currency & car hire
Airline Ryanair.

Stuffed up the return date by picking from the wrong month drop down box.

Tried to use 24hour grace period to correct the date through online chat. Correct date should have been cheaper. They refused to allow me to do this, saying I could only change to a more expensive ticket so sold me the correct date for some made up higher price meaning I had to give them the difference.

If I could just cancel the whole lot and start again I could get it cheaper for the initial price and dates I actually wanted.

Is it possible to cancel for zero fee, all money back within 24hours or not?

Cheers

Comments

  • Voyager2002
    Voyager2002 Posts: 15,283 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    dog_wont_eat_cucumber wrote: »
    Airline Ryanair.

    Stuffed up the return date by picking from the wrong month drop down box.

    Tried to use 24hour grace period to correct the date through online chat. Correct date should have been cheaper. They refused to allow me to do this, saying I could only change to a more expensive ticket so sold me the correct date for some made up higher price meaning I had to give them the difference.

    If I could just cancel the whole lot and start again I could get it cheaper for the initial price and dates I actually wanted.

    Is it possible to cancel for zero fee, all money back within 24hours or not?

    Cheers

    Usually it is possible, but I have only heard of people doing this by telephone to Ryanair rather than on-line chat.
  • Caz3121
    Caz3121 Posts: 15,545 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    dog_wont_eat_cucumber wrote: »
    Is it possible to cancel for zero fee, all money back within 24hours or not?
    Ryanair do not do refunds but will do corrections within 24 hours (wrong dates etc) but no full refund like many other airlines offer
  • bagand96
    bagand96 Posts: 6,101 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    Pick up the phone and speak to them, worth a shot.
  • Westin
    Westin Posts: 5,940 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper Photogenic First Post
    dog_wont_eat_cucumber wrote: »

    Is it possible to cancel for zero fee, all money back within 24hours or not?

    It is a concession that is offered and is discretionary. There is no legal obligation in the U.K./EU for a right to cancel free of charge within that time period if you make an error. Many airlines will however allow changes penalty free if a mistake is made. It is therefore important to carefully check everything not only before pressing the ‘Buy’ button but also immediately the confirmation email/paperwork is received.

    In the US I believe there is a 24h period for cancelling if booking direct with a US airline.
  • 1111bill
    1111bill Posts: 4 Newbie
    As already stated you get a 24 hour cooling off period for US based airlines..... UNLESS you book through Lastminute.com or Expedia.


    I made an error on a Lastminute.com booking for United Airlines.
    I contacted them within 2 hours, but they told me I was too late.
    They really screwed me for an extra £1000 to book a different date for our group !


    So in future I will always go direct to the Airline.
    Notice that Lastminute.com hotel bookings have zero refund on cancelations too !
  • Caz3121
    Caz3121 Posts: 15,545 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    1111bill wrote: »
    As already stated you get a 24 hour cooling off period for US based airlines..... UNLESS you book through Lastminute.com or Expedia.

    It is not just US airlines, many UK airlines also allow a free cancellation within 24 hours if you booked direct with them....this does not apply to bookings made through third parties
  • Heliflyguy
    Heliflyguy Posts: 932 Forumite
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Not a 24 hour scenario but tickets can be voided i.e. cancelled the same day for any legacy carrier by an agency, do it all the time.
  • Zandy_23
    Zandy_23 Posts: 60 Forumite
    My dh have tried to cancel our trip for this year and we did but there were charges. I've heard that some airlines and travel agencies set time periods for which there are no charges for cancellation but I guess this varies from one to another.
  • Pollycat
    Pollycat Posts: 34,683 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post Savvy Shopper!
    1111bill wrote: »
    As already stated you get a 24 hour cooling off period for US based airlines..... UNLESS you book through Lastminute.com or Expedia.


    I made an error on a Lastminute.com booking for United Airlines.
    I contacted them within 2 hours, but they told me I was too late.
    They really screwed me for an extra £1000 to book a different date for our group !


    So in future I will always go direct to the Airline.
    Notice that Lastminute.com hotel bookings have zero refund on cancelations too !
    Did you save much by not booking direct with the airline?

    Lots of unhappy people on the Air Travel board of Tripadvisor who used 3rd party websites to book their flights - eDreams and KIWI.com are the most complained about.
This discussion has been closed.
★ ★ ★ Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 343.2K Banking & Borrowing
  • 250.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.7K Spending & Discounts
  • 235.3K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 608K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 173.1K Life & Family
  • 247.9K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.9K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards