No refunds for canceled tickets

AndrewDerek

Hey all.

We planned the flight a month ago and bought tickets for October to save money on it in advance. A week ago we found out that our plans were changing dramatically and so we canceled the tickets. We have requested a refund but the airline is not responding. What should we do?

cymruchris

AndrewDerek said:

Hey all.

We planned the flight a month ago and bought tickets for October to save money on it in advance. A week ago we found out that our plans were changing dramatically and so we canceled the tickets. We have requested a refund but the airline is not responding. What should we do?

Were the original tickets refundable?

Caz3121

you need to look at the fare rules of the tickets you purchased. Most airlines sell many different fare types ranging from the cheapest non-refundable and non-changeable to the most expensive which would be fully refundable. (not uncommon for the refundable tickets to cost much much more than the cheapest....eg a random BA LHR-JFK return in November can be purchased for £455 including checked baggage and is non-refundable, if you want the same flights in economy but want a refundable ticket it would be £3,045!)
You may be able to reclaim the APD but depending on the airline and/or who you booked through there may be fees for this so very little to come back.

AndrewDerek

Caz3121 said:

you need to look at the fare rules of the tickets you purchased. Most airlines sell many different fare types ranging from the cheapest non-refundable and non-changeable to the most expensive which would be fully refundable. (not uncommon for the refundable tickets to cost much much more than the cheapest....eg a random BA LHR-JFK return in November can be purchased for £455 including checked baggage and is non-refundable, if you want the same flights in economy but want a refundable ticket it would be £3,045!)
You may be able to reclaim the APD but depending on the airline and/or who you booked through there may be fees for this so very little to come back.

Thanks for the quick response. I looked at the tickets and it doesn't say anything on them for a refund. Does that mean I lost money by canceling the trip?

Alan_Bowen

Quite possibly, if you name the airline, route and fare paid, we can probably have a very good guess. The time to check is before you cancel, not afterwards!

cymruchris

AndrewDerek said:

Caz3121 said:

you need to look at the fare rules of the tickets you purchased. Most airlines sell many different fare types ranging from the cheapest non-refundable and non-changeable to the most expensive which would be fully refundable. (not uncommon for the refundable tickets to cost much much more than the cheapest....eg a random BA LHR-JFK return in November can be purchased for £455 including checked baggage and is non-refundable, if you want the same flights in economy but want a refundable ticket it would be £3,045!)
You may be able to reclaim the APD but depending on the airline and/or who you booked through there may be fees for this so very little to come back.

Thanks for the quick response. I looked at the tickets and it doesn't say anything on them for a refund. Does that mean I lost money by canceling the trip?

Likely yes. Most 'cheap' air-fares are not refundable. If you scoured the web to find the best price - the chances are they aren't refundable. Usually to get this 'benefit'  you have to pay a premium over the 'cheapest price' you find on the web. Who is the airline you were going to fly with?

AndrewDerek

cymruchris said:

AndrewDerek said:

Caz3121 said:

you need to look at the fare rules of the tickets you purchased. Most airlines sell many different fare types ranging from the cheapest non-refundable and non-changeable to the most expensive which would be fully refundable. (not uncommon for the refundable tickets to cost much much more than the cheapest....eg a random BA LHR-JFK return in November can be purchased for £455 including checked baggage and is non-refundable, if you want the same flights in economy but want a refundable ticket it would be £3,045!)
You may be able to reclaim the APD but depending on the airline and/or who you booked through there may be fees for this so very little to come back.

Thanks for the quick response. I looked at the tickets and it doesn't say anything on them for a refund. Does that mean I lost money by canceling the trip?

Likely yes. Most 'cheap' air-fares are not refundable. If you scoured the web to find the best price - the chances are they aren't refundable. Usually to get this 'benefit'  you have to pay a premium over the 'cheapest price' you find on the web. Who is the airline you were going to fly with?

It was Easyjet.

cymruchris

AndrewDerek said:

cymruchris said:

AndrewDerek said:

Caz3121 said:

you need to look at the fare rules of the tickets you purchased. Most airlines sell many different fare types ranging from the cheapest non-refundable and non-changeable to the most expensive which would be fully refundable. (not uncommon for the refundable tickets to cost much much more than the cheapest....eg a random BA LHR-JFK return in November can be purchased for £455 including checked baggage and is non-refundable, if you want the same flights in economy but want a refundable ticket it would be £3,045!)
You may be able to reclaim the APD but depending on the airline and/or who you booked through there may be fees for this so very little to come back.

Thanks for the quick response. I looked at the tickets and it doesn't say anything on them for a refund. Does that mean I lost money by canceling the trip?

Likely yes. Most 'cheap' air-fares are not refundable. If you scoured the web to find the best price - the chances are they aren't refundable. Usually to get this 'benefit'  you have to pay a premium over the 'cheapest price' you find on the web. Who is the airline you were going to fly with?

It was Easyjet.

Then if it was a standard ticket - you'll not get a refund on the ticket, although eventually you'll be able to claim the tax you've paid back as part of the ticket price - as per their terms and conditions.

By the sound of it you've already cancelled the flights? Is there not an option to move flights to another date and pay a fee for doing so (plus any flight price difference?) rather than losing most of your money?

https://www.easyjet.com/en/help/booking-and-check-in/managing-your-booking

AndrewDerek

cymruchris said:

AndrewDerek said:

cymruchris said:

AndrewDerek said:

Caz3121 said:

you need to look at the fare rules of the tickets you purchased. Most airlines sell many different fare types ranging from the cheapest non-refundable and non-changeable to the most expensive which would be fully refundable. (not uncommon for the refundable tickets to cost much much more than the cheapest....eg a random BA LHR-JFK return in November can be purchased for £455 including checked baggage and is non-refundable, if you want the same flights in economy but want a refundable ticket it would be £3,045!)
You may be able to reclaim the APD but depending on the airline and/or who you booked through there may be fees for this so very little to come back.

Thanks for the quick response. I looked at the tickets and it doesn't say anything on them for a refund. Does that mean I lost money by canceling the trip?

Likely yes. Most 'cheap' air-fares are not refundable. If you scoured the web to find the best price - the chances are they aren't refundable. Usually to get this 'benefit'  you have to pay a premium over the 'cheapest price' you find on the web. Who is the airline you were going to fly with?

It was Easyjet.

Then if it was a standard ticket - you'll not get a refund on the ticket, although eventually you'll be able to claim the tax you've paid back as part of the ticket price - as per their terms and conditions.

By the sound of it you've already cancelled the flights? Is there not an option to move flights to another date and pay a fee for doing so (plus any flight price difference?) rather than losing most of your money?

 

This decision was rushed. I realize that now. We'll be more vigilant next time. Thanks for putting me in the right frame of mind!