Refund on Non-refundable Airfare: The ins and OutsIn common notion, a non-refundable airfare means if you cancel your ticket for any reason or you don’t fly, you won’t be getting back any refund from the airline.
Though partially this statement is true, there are hidden facts about non-refundable airline tickets that most travelers are unaware of.
The airfare rules vary largely from country to country and airline to airline.
In such a case, the airline may charge a cancellation penalty.In the United States, the U.S. Department of Transportation Regulations states that if a passenger books a non-refundable airfare minimum seven days ahead of flight departure date, the passenger won’t be charged any cancellation or change fee if they make the change or cancel the ticket within 24 hours of booking.
Airlines charge a hefty amount as different taxes, which also causes an increase in airfare.
So, even if your ticket is non-refundable, you can still get back some money from that if you calculate the taxes carefully.Also, there is a rule for “involuntary refunds”, which states that if the airline denies boarding for any reason, or if there is a delay of more than a specific time period or if the flight is canceled, the passenger gets the privilege to claim a full refund of their airfare, even on a non-refundable ticket.It goes without saying that most travelers don’t claim their refund because of a lack of information or because they are reluctant to read all the fine prints on the ticket.