Travel is an opportunity to study, relax, explore the world and be a free person at the same time. This is the best thing that can happen in life, and there is hardly a person who is ready to argue with this. The best way to travel is to buy a plane ticket and go to some distant or not quite country in order to spend time usefully and leave good impressions and fond memories after the trip.
Many people choose to travel by plane. It is practical, convenient, fast, safe and comfortable. But, alas, this is one of the most expensive modes of transport (although there are exceptions). In any case, an airplane flight can make up almost half of the entire vacation budget somewhere in a southern country. But everything happens in life. It happens that the trip is canceled.
What to do in this case? Can I return a plane ticket? Is it possible to get back at least a small part of the money spent on booking a flight? What do I need to do? Let's try to figure it out together.
For how many days can I return the ticket
So, there are two news, traditionally one of themgood, second not so good. Let's start with the first one. Yes, it is possible to return a plane ticket purchased via the Internet or in any other way. The bad news is that this is not always possible, in some cases you will be refused, in others only part of your costs will be reimbursed, and with some airlines you will have to tinker and even go to court.
But do not rush to get upset, with a competent approach, absolutely everything is possible. The main thing is to observe a few very simple, but important conditions. First time. Yes, the phrase "time is money" here is not just a metaphor, but a rule. If you contact the airline on the day of departure or a few hours before departure, you can expect almost nothing. In fact, each company has its own rules. Of course, they are regulated by laws, but in some cases, the ticket return time is regulated by internal charters. And when you buy a ticket, you automatically agree to the terms of this airline.
Therefore, be careful and study this issue as carefully as possible. How much you can return a plane ticket is not an easy question. The earlier the better. An even more successful refund operation will be carried out if you inform that you will not fly on this flight at least two days before departure. You can, of course, try to do this before registration, but in this case the process will become more complicated, since it is unprofitable for the airline to lose money. After the end of registration and even more so after departure, tickets become non-refundable.
How much money can be returned
Can I return my plane ticket? Can. But is it possible to get, or rather return, the money spent? In theory, yes, although everything here also depends on the airline. They have their own rates, promotions, conditions and so on. People, as a rule, do not pay attention to such things, and then complain about how bad the airline is that they do not want to return the money, although, according to the law, they seem to have to do this. Few people know that there are initially non-refundable tickets, but we will talk about them a little later. They cannot be called absolutely irrevocable, so at least a small part of the money can still be returned.
Non-refundable service fees that are paid when buying a ticket. Also, many airlines impose a fine for returning a ticket, while its size is not fixed in any regulatory legal act, so here each company has its own “appetites”. If you want to know how to return a plane ticket and get a 100% refund, then you should familiarize yourself with the grounds for a ticket refund, which in most cases guarantee a full refund.
Reason for ticket refund
There are two types of ticket refunds: voluntary and involuntary. In the first case, the passenger returns the ticket for no particular reason. Maybe he has it, but for the airline this reason is not a valid one. For example, if you had a fight with a companion, decided not to fly to this country, or your boss changed his mind about giving you a vacation, then in this case, the full cost of the ticket will most likely be refunded.fail. But at the same time, there are a number of reasons why the airline is obliged to consider your application and return all the money as soon as possible. This is the so-called forced return of air tickets on a direct flight.
Good reasons that guarantee a return include, for example, an official refusal of a visa. At the same time, you are obliged to document this refusal by providing all the necessary evidence. If the passenger was urgently hospitalized and he also has all the certificates for this, he can expect a refund. At the same time, his companions, who did not fly precisely because of the illness of their friend or relative, will not receive full compensation.
The death of a close relative (wife, parents, children) also allows you to get the money spent on tickets. It will only be necessary to prove kinship and provide a death certificate so that the airline has reason to issue a refund. There are also a number of reasons for which the carrier itself is to blame: the cancellation or delay of the flight serves as a reason for returning the ticket and receiving compensation for its cost.
All such cases are considered on an individual basis. The most important thing is to declare the return in time, at least a day before departure. This is written in all the rules for the return of air tickets. Some companies may consider your application on the same day, but be prepared for the whole procedure to take a week or even a month. This happens extremely rarely, but no one is immune from this.
When will the money arrive?
As noted above, the most important thing is to provide all the necessary evidence of the reason for the return. You need to do this as soon as possible, then there is every chance that the airline will meet you halfway and solve the problem as soon as possible. But it also happens that returning tickets for a direct flight is a difficult and time-consuming task. What to do in this case? Alas, we can only wait. But as soon as your return is officially recognized as forced, the process of transferring money to your bank card will immediately begin. It usually takes several business days, in some cases the money has to wait about a week.
How to return an e-ticket
In our time, the so-called aggregators are very popular - services that look for the cheapest flights and help you book them right at home. This requires only the Internet. But what if you need to return the ticket you bought online? How to cancel an e-ticket for a plane?
In fact, the process of returning such a ticket is no different from what was described above. You need to inform the airline about the desire and reason for the return of the ticket, provide evidence that this is an involuntary return and expect money on a bank card. The main thing - do not forget to check if your e-ticket is marked non ref, which means "non-refundable". What to do if you find these words, and is it possible to return a ticket for a plane of this type, let's consider directlynow.
Non-refundable tickets
Non-refundable tickets are in high demand among air passengers. There is only one reason for this - such tickets are much cheaper than regular ones, so their purchase is more profitable. You are flying on a regular flight, but at a lower price. As a rule, people buy non-refundable tickets knowing for sure that they will fly. But, as mentioned above, life is an unpredictable thing, so sometimes it becomes necessary to return such tickets.
How to get a refund for non-refundable tickets
Fortunately, the law provides for the cases in which you can claim a refund and describes how to return a plane ticket in case of its "non-refundable". Of course, the airline suffers losses, but it cannot do anything about it and is obliged to return the money, otherwise the state will deprive it of its license and the right to transport people. In fact, there is nothing fundamentally new here, money for the return of such tickets is provided in the same cases as in the case of a regular ticket. An involuntary return is recognized in the event of your hospitalization, the death of a loved one, or if the carrier itself violated its obligations and delayed or canceled the flight.
Conclusions
Alas, no one is immune from force majeure. Even today you can plan a trip, and a few days before departure, everything can change dramatically. That is why there is an opportunity to return the ticket and the money for it. remember, thatit is best to contact the airline representative as soon as possible, provide all evidence that you will not be able to get on the flight and wait for the refund. Of course, it is best not to get into such situations and always get only positive emotions from traveling, but just in case, you should know whether it is possible to return a plane ticket and how to do it correctly.
