Can I get my money back if I cancel a flight?

Question

We have booked a Delta Airlines flight to USA but one of our party can no longer go because of work commitments. He is self-employed so no boss to provide evidence. Does anyone know of any way to get the money back for the flight? I don't think they had travel insurance at the time of booking and the holiday was booked on a credit card. Any helpful suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

Typically, when you cancel a flight with a non refundable, the person will be assessed a cancellation fee and the remainder of the value of the ticket will returned to the passenger in the form of a credit to use for future Delta flights.



No airline actually refunds the money. They all will issue a credit, just like all the major department stores.

Answer 2

It is extremely rare for any travel insurance to pay out in case of changed work commitments, whether someone is self employed or employed. Normalliy travel insurances only pay in case of illness or death to the traveller, and to his/her immediate family.



If you booked full fare tickets they should be refundable, or at the very least amendable so that he can fly on a later date. If you bought the cheapest tickets available you're out of luck, as these tickets generally are non-amendable and non-refundable, in which case the airline is not obliged to offer any refunds at all for any reasons.



When you book flights on a credit card you will often find that the credit card offers travel insurance. This is especially true with American Express, and some Visa cards. But as I said before, it is unlikely that the travel insurance will cover him as it is work related, and not illness related.



The best thing to do would be to contact the airline and ask what the policies are on his particular ticket. If it was a medium priced ticket it may be possible to cancel or rebook for a fee.

Answer 3

if it was a refundable ticket then yes he can get his money back.

if it was a non-refundable ticket then he would get a voucher in the amount of the ticket to use on a future flight which usually has to be used within a year.

YOU wouldn't get the voucher even if you paid for the flight cuz its in HIS name.

Answer 4

Most of the airlines won't allow that but you can still contact customer service and present them a valid reason.