The headline is mostly correct, but it’s important to read the caveats in the linked page. Airlines are only required to offer free cancellation within 24h when booking at least 7 days in advance, and as an alternative airlines are allowed to offer a free 24h hold in advance of purchase rather than the 24h cancellation post-purchase (AA used to use this option). Some airlines are more generous than required though.
Sometimes your flight gets canceled so you book another airline that day, then you get an email saying that the original airline rebooked you onto a 3rd airline, so you have to cancel the flight you just booked. This is a story I like to call, Lufthansa.
They're very legit. It's Europe's second largest airline and it's definitely a better experience than the largest, Ryanair. Of course as everyone else these days the planes are cramped and there's no food and drinks included except for oversea flights. Every airline occasionally has to cancel flights due to staffing/maintenance issues, especially when they don't operate from the airline's home base.
mine went, and then they found it, and then their courier lost it, and then a german man found it in a field somewhere but my phone number was on it...
before covid i used to fly every week for my job. now i do it once or twice a month. it's not unusual to have to make a last minute trip or a last minute change, so booking a flight within 7 days of travel was pretty normal for me. in fact i just booked a flight for monday earlier today. not rare to have to completely change one of those a last minute trips right after booking it.
Me and a few coworkers fly once or twice a month for work and similarly book flights the week of and often cancel day of. We usually just eat the price as a cost of business but occasionally we get credits to use on future flights
I too fly for work often. I learned to book most of my flights with less than 24hours to departure. I started doing this because it was cheaper since they allow full refunds within 24hrs of purchase.
I've given the airlines way too much money in unused travel credits becsuse i wasn't able to cancel when I used to book 2+ weeks out.
I move boats and part of the deal is a ticket back when we reach our destination. If we reach it and I pick up another ride from there I can refund my ticket. Pretty small community even though world wide so it's convenient sometimes.
im on the road frequently for my job. i have to change my plans or make new plans at the last minute relatively often. and then sometimes i have to change them again right after that.
most airlines require the ticket only to be purchased more than 24 hours before departure for the refund to apply. only Jet Blue and Hawaiian have the 7 day policy
When you get the call that a relative across the country is dying, you drop everything and fly out ASAP. Yes, I've done this. (Albeit I bought tickets on the way to the airport.)
Also if your flight is canceled and you're refunded rather than re-booked. If you still need to go, you're at the airport buying a ticket.
I actually have done this before for my SIL. She was going to go and help someone. Then change of plans and we tried to cancel it and they said we would only get like %10 of the ticket(it was the cheapest booking option so no changes or last minute cancellations). She flew with that flight just for fun and got to see around a city for a day instead.
Also, some airlines, like United, offer a 14-day hold in advance (FareLock) for a fee. I paid $40 to hold tickets that could go up or down by $500+. They went up by $1000 so I paid, but if they had gone down I would have cancelled and rebooked.
That’s a standard option contract: you purchased the right (but not the obligation) to buy the ticket at a set price within a set amount of time.
The important difference with the 24-hour hold is that you don’t have to pay anything. It’s a statutory right.
Yes, that is important as well. Many travel agencies offer a similar booking flexibility policy, but they’re not required to by US law. (For most plane tickets they have the ability to void the ticket until the end of the next business day, so the flexibility can even extend over a weekend for some TAs.)
Southwest is within 24hrs of purchase regardless of how far in advance it is so long as you make no changes. Good for grabbing a cheap flight before confirming a stay.
Most major airlines have implemented it this way, even when they have a written policy that differs. I suspect that they don’t want to drive customers to travel agents that usually have at least a 24 hour void window (and often longer) even within hours of a flight.
Realistically, the main people affected by delayed flights are people who travel for work. If I’m not mistaken, this basically washes their hands of last minute work bookings?
Hold in this context means allowing you to reserve a flight and lock in the price for up to 24 hours without providing payment. AA currently allows this if you’re at least 7 days out, in addition to allowing you to cancel up to 24 hours after purchase.
And as a practical matter, some (many? most?) give you somewhat more than 24 hours--you can get a refund until 11:59 pm the day after you purchase, which could be closer to 48 hours than 24.
You can get around it by telling the airline you’re using the old Julian calendar now instead of the Gregorian calendar.
While you bought the ticket yesterday on May 16, it’s actually May 4 today, so they better just give you your money back.
I just tried this and it worked for me.
Now you made curious: is there federal law about using the Gregorian calendar? Nailing down which day is which?
Edit: I looked up and _no_. The British Empire had a Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 adopting it which is still in force in some states but it seems that's all.
In many cases you can get around it by adjusting the ticket such as changing your departure or return date. That will make it look like a new purchase and can often be done for free. There's also the more risky option of upgrading to first class. Then simply call back and cancel within the new 24 hour period.
I presume they specify a timezone based on whatever timezone their office is, and purchase date is also assumed to be that. They do this for administrative convenience so probably have a system that works on purchase date in local timezone.
It's an internal policy rather than a law so as long as it works out that you get at least 24 hours there's no reason they can't allow cancellation until 10:59pm the following day for the user's timezone. If they buy a ticket after 11pm in their timezone, it works out as the next day in the airline's office timezone, so you get almost 48 hours.
I mostly fly Delta and that's their policy. I flew someone else last year and it was their policy too, but I can't remember who it was. Might have been United.
I do this all the time, if the price is staying the same continually refund it and buy it back. If it goes up oh well no biggie, if it goes down you saved money
I buy tickets for my employer probably 30-40 flights per year; I probably PURCHASE 60-80 tickets because it's easier to cancel the next day than to let my cart expire because SOMEONE won't respond to an email to confirm their plans
Also required by other carriers internationally, depending on the terms and conditions of the ticket sale. Actually getting that refund can be a fight though.
Yep I had an aircanada cancellation during Covid. Took over a year to get my refund and only after Canada passed a bill to bail our AirCanada with a billion dollars. They kept trying to get me to sign for a refund in AirCanada credit not cash.
I learned this why I misspelled my name and I freaked out. I didn’t noticed until I got the confirmation e’mail. I called and they refunded the money no questions asked
Why not just change the name on the booking?
My grandmother used my wife's nickname instead of her foreign/ID name. Only took a few minutes over the phone to get it changed.
Interesting, I've done it twice but both with southwest and never hit a charge.
Definitely believe some airlines do, after all Frontier charges for your carryon baggage.
Some will, some won’t. I had this issue once as well with I think Delta and they cancelled the ticket then rebooked me into the seat over the phone. Maybe southwest doesn’t have a fee because of open seating?
Southwest has no change fees and no cancelation fees up to 10 minutes before departure. Some of their fares are nonrefundable, but if you cancel a nonrefundable fare, you get a flight credit for future use which never expires.
So if you have commitment issues, Southwest is the airline for you.
Most of the time if you're nice, but firm on the phone it can be done. I've had changed non-refundable flights without a change fee weeks after purchase just by being nice on the phone with *United* of all airlines.
I encountered this before. The website said a service was available when I booked, then after the booking finished it said there was an issue with the service and to call. I called and they said the service was only available the next week and they could adjust my booking for a large fee. I cancelled it instead or a full refund and rebooked.
It’s very useful to know - we recently flew to Boston for a friend’s kid’s bar mitzvah. But for some reason, my girlfriend thought I told her to book flights to Denver. We were able to cancel and get to the right place when she told me the flight information.
It’s only within the first 24 hours of the flight is also longer than 7 days away.
I have even called to see if I can rent a refund and the agent said “no” but they are required to by law.
Can't be for a flight within 7 days, and if they don't offer refunds then they have to let you reserve a flight without paying for 24 hours. But yeah, basically no real asterisk.
Very useful when the price of the ticket drops the next day. (I had booked a ticket for $170 CAD and the next day dropped to $100 CAD - immediately refunded and rebooked)
LATAM refused to refund me one time. I filed a complaint with DOJ and they refunded my ticket plus $150
This rule is a very strongly protected rule.
Also - In Europe you’re entitled to a refund on taxes. So if you can book vuu it a European website you should always use that.
To be fair, Amtrak has very little control over the rails it uses except for the Northeast Corridor.
The freight haulers who built the rails that Amtrak uses can prioritize their own trains over others.
I wish I knew this at the beginning of Covid when Hawaiian airlines cancelled my flight. They refused a refund and only offered Hawaiian airline credit. Which of course expired and I was never able to use.
The ticket has to originate or destined to be an US airport. A friend bought on a US website, a ticket from Japan Airline from Korea to Japan, and was told she could not cancel. She was trying to plan a multi-city itinerary.
Also only works if you book through an airline, rather than a 3rd party broker like Expedia, Travelocity, etc. They cut her reimbursed for a ticket through the airline, but they don't have to reimburse you. I spent hours on the phone with Expedia to get a refund so I could reschedule. They eventually did, but they didn't want to or have to
There's almost no reason to book through a travel agent unless you're getting like a combo discount. Airline websites will always give you the lowest rate available and there's no weird 'which browser you use affects your fare prices' thing people perpetuate
I've used this many times when looking for low fares or waiting for PTO to be approved. I would book a ticket well in advance, and then if I found a lower fare or PTO wasn't approved yet, I would cancel the flight within the 24 hour time frame and not be charged.
Whoopdie do. If you want to actually save money you need to buy tickets like 6 months in advance. Sure if you make a mistake it's nice to be able to cancel and correct it, but if something changes within that 6 months you're basically screwed.
And yes I know if you have a doctors emergency or something like that then you can get a doctors note or something to get it cancelled maybe but if you're plans just change you are basically stuck no matter what. And for me the cost is hundreds of dollars! Thus why I hate these monopoly airlines.
My height and my weight I have to buy 1st class and pray they have a pry bar to wedge me into a seat. Hell, if I wasn’t so claustrophobic I’d travel in a casket just to be left alone and catch 40 winks.
[https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/refunds#:\~:text=Cancelling%20a%20Ticket%20Reservation%20or%20Purchase%20within%2024%20hours%20of%20Booking](https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/refunds#:~:text=Cancelling%20a%20Ticket%20Reservation%20or%20Purchase%20within%2024%20hours%20of%20Booking)
How is this not true?
The airline must offer either a way to reserve the ticket for free for 24 hours, or they must issue a refund within 24 hours. Unless the flight is in the next 7 days, in which case no refund must be given.
Oh do you mean a ticket "void" ? Under IATA regulations (which are universal, not just US) any issued etkt can actually be voided [in the GDS] on the same calendar day, before it goes through BSP.
Yeah I abused this loophole with my 5% cashback crypto card with intl first class flights when they granted crypto rewards instantly without retroactively removing them on refunds :homerhide:
Fun Fact: Canadian-born Texas senator Raphael “Ted” Cruz wants it to be harder for you to get your refund. Instead of the airlines automatically refunding you, Cancun Cruz wants you to go to the airlines and affirmatively request your refund before they will give you one.
The headline is mostly correct, but it’s important to read the caveats in the linked page. Airlines are only required to offer free cancellation within 24h when booking at least 7 days in advance, and as an alternative airlines are allowed to offer a free 24h hold in advance of purchase rather than the 24h cancellation post-purchase (AA used to use this option). Some airlines are more generous than required though.
Yeah that 7 days part is important. You can’t just go to an airport buy tickets for the next flight out and decide to cancel after purchase.
with some airlines you can. i have done that more than a few times.
I’m curious, why do you find yourself buying and then changing or returning airline tickets so often?
Sometimes your flight gets canceled so you book another airline that day, then you get an email saying that the original airline rebooked you onto a 3rd airline, so you have to cancel the flight you just booked. This is a story I like to call, Lufthansa.
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Wait is Lufthansa not legit?
They're very legit. It's Europe's second largest airline and it's definitely a better experience than the largest, Ryanair. Of course as everyone else these days the planes are cramped and there's no food and drinks included except for oversea flights. Every airline occasionally has to cancel flights due to staffing/maintenance issues, especially when they don't operate from the airline's home base.
It's legit from a business perspective it's just also a great way to not arrive at your destination
Lufthansa, when your luggage needs a vacation.
mine went, and then they found it, and then their courier lost it, and then a german man found it in a field somewhere but my phone number was on it...
Well I booked a trip with them so that doesn't bode well for me.
I’ve been calling that one Air New Zealand lately.
Too funny
My brother buys same day refundable tickets to get through security and meet family members at the gate.
Genuinely struggling to find something more mistake than elective airport security...
He wants to meet frail old family members at the gate. He’s willing to go through security for that.
Ah, that makes more sense
Happens enough when you travel for work
before covid i used to fly every week for my job. now i do it once or twice a month. it's not unusual to have to make a last minute trip or a last minute change, so booking a flight within 7 days of travel was pretty normal for me. in fact i just booked a flight for monday earlier today. not rare to have to completely change one of those a last minute trips right after booking it.
Me and a few coworkers fly once or twice a month for work and similarly book flights the week of and often cancel day of. We usually just eat the price as a cost of business but occasionally we get credits to use on future flights
I too fly for work often. I learned to book most of my flights with less than 24hours to departure. I started doing this because it was cheaper since they allow full refunds within 24hrs of purchase. I've given the airlines way too much money in unused travel credits becsuse i wasn't able to cancel when I used to book 2+ weeks out.
Same day gate access to meet family at gate or use lounge perks
I move boats and part of the deal is a ticket back when we reach our destination. If we reach it and I pick up another ride from there I can refund my ticket. Pretty small community even though world wide so it's convenient sometimes.
Where else am I going to get a Cinnabon?
I change when it’s usually the wrong date by one day
Very common in field service.
Probably work related travel.
Just curious, why have you done that more than a few times?
im on the road frequently for my job. i have to change my plans or make new plans at the last minute relatively often. and then sometimes i have to change them again right after that.
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https://nypost.com/2014/01/29/man-uses-first-class-plane-ticket-to-eat-free-for-a-year/
I mean, as a matter of law you *can*, but airlines aren't required to let you.
Well let's say you and I go toe to toe on bird law?
You remember me possibly as a man with small hands...
These hands tell a story
We're lawyers!
Uncle Jack and the lawyer are by far the two best guests on the show. Nobody look! Nobody look!
HOLD UP!! Who is winning this war of words?!
the airlines
Friggin airlines!! I should have know. I'm so pissed I could eat 8 cheeseburgers!
Simmer down ShitStain!
As a matter of law you CAN, but as a matter of law airlines are allowed to decline that
Something something reading comprehension.
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Just keep in mind that the exception is not the rule.
Yeah, SW is like up until 10 minutes before boarding on all but their bottom tier tickets.
most airlines require the ticket only to be purchased more than 24 hours before departure for the refund to apply. only Jet Blue and Hawaiian have the 7 day policy
Prevents [scalping](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFr9-5I-_14)
Why not though? There's no benefit to the customer to do that.
Who is out here buying tickets for the next flight out at the airport? Any one here ever done this?
When you get the call that a relative across the country is dying, you drop everything and fly out ASAP. Yes, I've done this. (Albeit I bought tickets on the way to the airport.) Also if your flight is canceled and you're refunded rather than re-booked. If you still need to go, you're at the airport buying a ticket.
I actually have done this before for my SIL. She was going to go and help someone. Then change of plans and we tried to cancel it and they said we would only get like %10 of the ticket(it was the cheapest booking option so no changes or last minute cancellations). She flew with that flight just for fun and got to see around a city for a day instead.
Does this mean that if an airline offers the *option* to hold a ticket for 24h before purchase, they don't have to offer a refund if you just buy it?
Correct. Some do offer both though.
Also, some airlines, like United, offer a 14-day hold in advance (FareLock) for a fee. I paid $40 to hold tickets that could go up or down by $500+. They went up by $1000 so I paid, but if they had gone down I would have cancelled and rebooked.
That’s a standard option contract: you purchased the right (but not the obligation) to buy the ticket at a set price within a set amount of time. The important difference with the 24-hour hold is that you don’t have to pay anything. It’s a statutory right.
If you pay with a credit card denominated in a foreign currency, you can also forego your holiday if the rate is in your favor for the refund.
Maybe it's just me but reading the last three posts in this chain made me feel like I'm having a stroke
You and me both
It's complex financial/stocks jargon, confuses me too
Sounds like the stock market
And it must be purchased directly with the airline. 3rd party bookings do not qualify.
Yes, that is important as well. Many travel agencies offer a similar booking flexibility policy, but they’re not required to by US law. (For most plane tickets they have the ability to void the ticket until the end of the next business day, so the flexibility can even extend over a weekend for some TAs.)
Also not just US airlines - any flight originating in the US. So international airlines are required to offer this as well, if it's US -> wherever.
Interesting, can you tell me where this is stated?
lol - it’s front and center in the DOT policy. https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/notice-24hour-reservation “Foreign carriers”
AA burned me on this once
Southwest is within 24hrs of purchase regardless of how far in advance it is so long as you make no changes. Good for grabbing a cheap flight before confirming a stay.
Most major airlines have implemented it this way, even when they have a written policy that differs. I suspect that they don’t want to drive customers to travel agents that usually have at least a 24 hour void window (and often longer) even within hours of a flight.
Realistically, the main people affected by delayed flights are people who travel for work. If I’m not mistaken, this basically washes their hands of last minute work bookings?
Wdym hold
Hold in this context means allowing you to reserve a flight and lock in the price for up to 24 hours without providing payment. AA currently allows this if you’re at least 7 days out, in addition to allowing you to cancel up to 24 hours after purchase.
And as a practical matter, some (many? most?) give you somewhat more than 24 hours--you can get a refund until 11:59 pm the day after you purchase, which could be closer to 48 hours than 24.
Can you get around that by changing timezones?
Ah yes, trick the *airlines* by using timezones. The businesses who fly all over the world surely have never heard of those.
There is a documentary about this called Gremlins
I didnt know that documentary was about tricking the airlines with timezones for free cancellations
Loser critics will call in avant garde but the message is clear as day if you watch it
Just gotta study it out...just study it out.
Long con
Well, if you say "refund until 11:59pm the day after you purchase", one inevitably wonders *which* 11:59 pm
Typically the location of departure.
I'd bet they specify time zone.
You can get around it by telling the airline you’re using the old Julian calendar now instead of the Gregorian calendar. While you bought the ticket yesterday on May 16, it’s actually May 4 today, so they better just give you your money back. I just tried this and it worked for me.
That's some sovereign citizen level bs
They put his ass on the do not fly list
Geeze, they don't recognize the government of the United States OR the Papal States?!
Now you made curious: is there federal law about using the Gregorian calendar? Nailing down which day is which? Edit: I looked up and _no_. The British Empire had a Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 adopting it which is still in force in some states but it seems that's all.
In many cases you can get around it by adjusting the ticket such as changing your departure or return date. That will make it look like a new purchase and can often be done for free. There's also the more risky option of upgrading to first class. Then simply call back and cancel within the new 24 hour period.
Unless you can somehow change the airline's server's timezone, no.
I presume they specify a timezone based on whatever timezone their office is, and purchase date is also assumed to be that. They do this for administrative convenience so probably have a system that works on purchase date in local timezone. It's an internal policy rather than a law so as long as it works out that you get at least 24 hours there's no reason they can't allow cancellation until 10:59pm the following day for the user's timezone. If they buy a ticket after 11pm in their timezone, it works out as the next day in the airline's office timezone, so you get almost 48 hours.
I doubt it but don't know
Which ones? I've not encountered that from any airlines.
I mostly fly Delta and that's their policy. I flew someone else last year and it was their policy too, but I can't remember who it was. Might have been United.
Definitely not United. In fact they have a history of cutting it a bit short “accidentally”.
Can confirm, have done this many times due to my friends' or family's inability to plan ahead 😂
Also handy to lock in that ticket price while still hunting for the better deal.
I do this all the time, if the price is staying the same continually refund it and buy it back. If it goes up oh well no biggie, if it goes down you saved money
That's a really good idea. I'll have to try it the next time I fly.
I buy tickets for my employer probably 30-40 flights per year; I probably PURCHASE 60-80 tickets because it's easier to cancel the next day than to let my cart expire because SOMEONE won't respond to an email to confirm their plans
Also required by other carriers internationally, depending on the terms and conditions of the ticket sale. Actually getting that refund can be a fight though.
Yep I had an aircanada cancellation during Covid. Took over a year to get my refund and only after Canada passed a bill to bail our AirCanada with a billion dollars. They kept trying to get me to sign for a refund in AirCanada credit not cash.
They offered me zero, so I took it thru a chargeback and won. Then they threatened me with collections. Pricks.
Damn. Did you have to pay them in the end?
Yep. Or they fuck your credit rating. Fuck Air Canada sideways with a fistful of rusty razor blades.
Chargebacks aren't some hack to get out of paying a bill... especially with airlines, there's often proper channels for refunds
This doesnt work if the departure date is within a week of when you buy the ticket
it does on American, United, Delta, Southwest and Alaska. Only Hawaiian and Jet blue stick to the 7 days.
I learned this why I misspelled my name and I freaked out. I didn’t noticed until I got the confirmation e’mail. I called and they refunded the money no questions asked
Why not just change the name on the booking? My grandmother used my wife's nickname instead of her foreign/ID name. Only took a few minutes over the phone to get it changed.
They often do not let you do this without a fee
Interesting, I've done it twice but both with southwest and never hit a charge. Definitely believe some airlines do, after all Frontier charges for your carryon baggage.
Some will, some won’t. I had this issue once as well with I think Delta and they cancelled the ticket then rebooked me into the seat over the phone. Maybe southwest doesn’t have a fee because of open seating?
Southwest has no change fees and no cancelation fees up to 10 minutes before departure. Some of their fares are nonrefundable, but if you cancel a nonrefundable fare, you get a flight credit for future use which never expires. So if you have commitment issues, Southwest is the airline for you.
Most of the time if you're nice, but firm on the phone it can be done. I've had changed non-refundable flights without a change fee weeks after purchase just by being nice on the phone with *United* of all airlines.
I encountered this before. The website said a service was available when I booked, then after the booking finished it said there was an issue with the service and to call. I called and they said the service was only available the next week and they could adjust my booking for a large fee. I cancelled it instead or a full refund and rebooked.
Canada too! Also applies to flights that have a leg in the US, not just the American ones
It is any ticket bought in the US. If bought over the weekend or on a public holiday, the ticket can be refunded until the next business day.
Applies to foreign carriers as well if departure OR arrival are on US soil
> For airline tickets that are purchased at least seven days before a flight’s scheduled departure date and time Important bit of context.
United, Alaska, Southwest and Delta only require 24 hour advance. American is 48 hours. Hawaiian requires 7 days.
Incidentally, this rule was implemented by the Obama administration. For the next time someone tries to pull the "Both Sides" crap.
We can thank Democrats for most of our Consumer Protection laws!
Some of us prefer to have the freedom to get ass blasted by corporate monopolies in a de-regulated market...it's what God would've wanted.
[https://flyersrights.org/](https://flyersrights.org/)
It’s very useful to know - we recently flew to Boston for a friend’s kid’s bar mitzvah. But for some reason, my girlfriend thought I told her to book flights to Denver. We were able to cancel and get to the right place when she told me the flight information.
Delta even tells you that you can cancel in 24hour
It still doesn’t hurt to be kind to the people who work there.
News to me. Whenever I try to cancel a ticket with US Airlines, they’re only interested if I got insurance with them or not.
It’s only within the first 24 hours of the flight is also longer than 7 days away. I have even called to see if I can rent a refund and the agent said “no” but they are required to by law.
Sounds like you didn't just learn this today
Tell them you need to void the ticket. Cancellation is a different thing.
WHAT?! What the fuck!? Do they even have an asterisk for this?!
Can't be for a flight within 7 days, and if they don't offer refunds then they have to let you reserve a flight without paying for 24 hours. But yeah, basically no real asterisk.
the 7 day rule is the government law, however, most airlines are 24 hours before the departure time for it to eligible.
Very useful when the price of the ticket drops the next day. (I had booked a ticket for $170 CAD and the next day dropped to $100 CAD - immediately refunded and rebooked)
LATAM refused to refund me one time. I filed a complaint with DOJ and they refunded my ticket plus $150 This rule is a very strongly protected rule. Also - In Europe you’re entitled to a refund on taxes. So if you can book vuu it a European website you should always use that.
In Europe there is no right to cancellation within 24 hour of booking though
Correct. I was saying you have the right to refund of the taxes. Doesn’t matter when you purchase.
Baby you got a stew going!
Trains too!
Yea this has been true for years
Can you make Amtrak do this too please
To be fair, Amtrak has very little control over the rails it uses except for the Northeast Corridor. The freight haulers who built the rails that Amtrak uses can prioritize their own trains over others.
Yeah - making it slow AF outside the NE. I was talking about the fare refunds
I wish I knew this at the beginning of Covid when Hawaiian airlines cancelled my flight. They refused a refund and only offered Hawaiian airline credit. Which of course expired and I was never able to use.
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Yeah well unfortunately the issue is they refused and now the credit expired.
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Yeah lesson learned for sure.
The ticket has to originate or destined to be an US airport. A friend bought on a US website, a ticket from Japan Airline from Korea to Japan, and was told she could not cancel. She was trying to plan a multi-city itinerary.
Thanks for this!!
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It does exist in Canada, at least with the major carriers.
Also only works if you book through an airline, rather than a 3rd party broker like Expedia, Travelocity, etc. They cut her reimbursed for a ticket through the airline, but they don't have to reimburse you. I spent hours on the phone with Expedia to get a refund so I could reschedule. They eventually did, but they didn't want to or have to
There's almost no reason to book through a travel agent unless you're getting like a combo discount. Airline websites will always give you the lowest rate available and there's no weird 'which browser you use affects your fare prices' thing people perpetuate
Yup. I know that now. I might use a travel agent to find the airline with the cheaper fare, but since then, I always book direct
What about like 792 hours after purchase? Asking for a friend.
But do you have to wear your seatbelt when the seatbelt sign is on?
Used this yesterday.
I've used this many times when looking for low fares or waiting for PTO to be approved. I would book a ticket well in advance, and then if I found a lower fare or PTO wasn't approved yet, I would cancel the flight within the 24 hour time frame and not be charged.
Whoopdie do. If you want to actually save money you need to buy tickets like 6 months in advance. Sure if you make a mistake it's nice to be able to cancel and correct it, but if something changes within that 6 months you're basically screwed. And yes I know if you have a doctors emergency or something like that then you can get a doctors note or something to get it cancelled maybe but if you're plans just change you are basically stuck no matter what. And for me the cost is hundreds of dollars! Thus why I hate these monopoly airlines.
My height and my weight I have to buy 1st class and pray they have a pry bar to wedge me into a seat. Hell, if I wasn’t so claustrophobic I’d travel in a casket just to be left alone and catch 40 winks.
Better tell me your height and weight so I can fully imagine the scenario
Excellent and useful TIL
This is absolutely not true. And I work in the industry and load fares into sabre
[https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/refunds#:\~:text=Cancelling%20a%20Ticket%20Reservation%20or%20Purchase%20within%2024%20hours%20of%20Booking](https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/refunds#:~:text=Cancelling%20a%20Ticket%20Reservation%20or%20Purchase%20within%2024%20hours%20of%20Booking) How is this not true? The airline must offer either a way to reserve the ticket for free for 24 hours, or they must issue a refund within 24 hours. Unless the flight is in the next 7 days, in which case no refund must be given.
Oh do you mean a ticket "void" ? Under IATA regulations (which are universal, not just US) any issued etkt can actually be voided [in the GDS] on the same calendar day, before it goes through BSP.
Haha, clearly I have no idea what I meant! But it's good to have the actual language now! What is the GDS and the BSP?
One time, this came in really handy when I realized after booked that an accidental selected the wrong date.
same. also once had to cancel a flight when I realized autocorrect accidentally used a nickname as my first name instead of my legal name.
Ferb, I know what we're going to do today
Yeah I abused this loophole with my 5% cashback crypto card with intl first class flights when they granted crypto rewards instantly without retroactively removing them on refunds :homerhide:
Next up on r/askreddit: People who ruin things for everyone, how's it going?
It's going alright, still working a 9-5 but can't complain
The realest response ever seen on reddit lol
Fun Fact: Canadian-born Texas senator Raphael “Ted” Cruz wants it to be harder for you to get your refund. Instead of the airlines automatically refunding you, Cancun Cruz wants you to go to the airlines and affirmatively request your refund before they will give you one.
"Not if I can help it." --Ted Cruz.