Hacker News Reader

Comment by jliptzin | Hacker News Reader

I find it hard to believe there is any combination of words you can say to an airline company to successfully refund a non-refundable ticket.

View on HN

It can be done. I've cancelled non-refundable flights for medical reasons. There is also a 24 hour period where you can cancel your flight, which I believe is by law.

Summary: https://www.consumerreports.org/consumerist/all-major-u-s-ai...

Full text here: http://www.dot.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/Notice_24hour_ho...

As far as I know, the 24 hour cancellation rule is not international. I think it is mostly applicable to North America. If this was an international flight, it is possible that the law did not apply.

European airlines have different policies regarding cancellations, often based on the type of fare you select. Sometimes you get a full refund, other times only the taxes and fees.

It applies to american-based airfare companies so if you book with kayak, orbitz, expedia, priceline, etc then there's a 24 hour cancellation period

I'd love to get a source on that for the next time I encounter this situation.

It's easy to find: https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/notice-24hour-res...

Edit: I should add that I don't know if this specifically applies to Kayak, etc. I'm not sure if that's what you were specifically looking for.

The rule is very simple - it applies to any flight originating in the United States.

" There is also a 24 hour period where you can cancel your flight, which I believe is by law."

AFAIK, only if you book with an airline direct.

It's even worse than that. My brother-in-law, who doesn't speak much English, accidentally selected the wrong option at a check-in kiosk in Las Vegas and was upsold some kind of "premier" ticket option that let him board a flight first for the low low price of $42.

After he realized he made a mistake he sought out the airline staff and they told him he had to go to some website which showed that he had checked in, but not the extra charge or option. Eventually he made his way to a service desk at the airport and they told him to call a number after he landed on the other side.

The "customer service" representative then informed him that since he had already taken the flight, he couldn't get a refund.

I helped him file a complaint with the airline explaining the English and the lack of help from airline staff and the confusing remediation directions he received. They responded very quickly informing him that he would not be refunded but to please fly again with them.

Did he accept and realize the advance boarding?

My read is that he probably screwed up and could've asked more questions at the kiosk. In addition, you're a supportive BIL!

He accepted, thought about it, then went directly to the airline staff for help. They basically told him to phone/web/email and ignored him.

The kiosk was one of those touchscreen things so nobody to ask when he was making the mistake.

It is ultimately his mistake, but at the same time, they're keeping >$40 he accidentally spent so he could board an aircraft 3 minutes early. It's kind of silly.

Many airlines (ex. United Airlines) allow refunds within 24 hours of purchase, regardless of general rules of the ticket.

I think this is legally required in the US, if you book directly with the airline. This is a solid reason to never book through the flight aggregators.

It's also required in the EU. It happened to me with British Airways

AmEx provides me this benefit when I book through them.

Expedia provides the same cancellation period as well. It saved my butt once last fall when I clicked on the wrong month in the calendar. Plus I have used it for other flight cancellations with them.

They legally have to. Always amazes me to see airlines boast of their 24 hour refund policy that they don't actually have any choice over.

I mean, clearly a lot of people don’t know it’s the law, so it doesn’t hurt advertising it as a perk. Especially if the other guys don’t advertise it.

This was also the strategy of ep 1 of mad men — lucky strike’s “it’s toasted” slogan — if you say it first, then despite all tobacco being toasted, it looks like everyone else is just copying you.

Depends on jurisdiction. https://www.gov.uk/online-and-distance-selling-for-businesse... might be handy for UK citizens as a starting point.

Did it once in Russia. There’s a law requiring a refund if passenger is sick.

If it is for a ticket originating from the US you can cancel and get a refund as long as it is within 24 hours of booking the ticket, and the ticket is at least 7 days out

I believe that "non-refundable" and "as-is" are going the way of the dodo with the millennial generation. It seems past generations were much more willing to accept large corporation policies than the current ones.

Because this generation knows how to raise hell on social media if they've been legitimately wronged.

I'm curious what makes you think this. I think millennials have sat back and allowed hospitality & travel companies to get away with much more than ever.

Hotels and car rentals now have non-refundable rates, something that didn't exist 10 years ago. Many hotels add resort fees, extra service fees, charge $7 for a bottle of water, etc., that they never would have tried 10+ years ago. Airlines have long had non-refundable fares, but penalties have increased tremendously. Anecdote: a friend of mine booked a weekend trip in 2009, the return flight was Sunday 12:30 am. When I pointed out to her that was essentially Saturday night, she got on the phone to change her ticket to the last flight out that same Sunday. $40 change fee. Today that would almost surely be $100+ on any US-based airline.

All these extra fees aren't aimed at millennials specifically, but I sure don't see them resisting enough to have any of these companies reverse or reduce some of their fees in response to consumer complaints or dissatisfaction.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com