Which Airline Is Good For Refunding Ticket Purchases?

[patient]

i will be taking the train to malaysia soon and will book a flight back but may end up taking train back too.so i wld like to know (and hope others find it useful too) peoples different experiences in obtaing a refund for a refundable airline ticket purchase.

maybe some airlines are faster to pay the refund than others. maybe there are some good tips you could share eg book direct with airline website.. maybe some horror stories too...so i/we can avoid the same headache.

cheers

[craigt3365]

Make sure it's a fully refundable ticket, which means it will be quite expensive. Some tickets can be exchanged, but you can't get your money back...just use it on another flight.

I'd also book direct. And probably avoid the low cost carriers.

I had to do this a few years ago when traveling to the Philippines. Didn't have a return ticket, so Emirates sold me a fully refundable one. I had to go to their office in Manila, fill out a form, and about 60 days later, it was back on my credit card.

I've also gotten refunds from Turkish Airlines and a few others. Read the fine print!!!

[USNret]

I'm in the midst of a horror story right now with United. It's my first experience dealing with refundable tickets.

I had one-way tix to Thailand, but United wouldn't let me board in Guam. They said Thai immigration might not let me in (which I already knew). I'm thinking I'm so smart -- I'll buy a refundable return ticket, enter the country, then cancel the ticket.

Not so fast! I called yesterday to process my refund and there is massive confusion on the other end. I'm on hold a total of about 30 minutes. Turns out, the ticket agent in Guam added my return tickets to my existing itinerary to Thailand, thus by their accounting I've already started the trip which makes the refund a dicier proposition. They continue to research, then come back with the answer (delivered in a cheerful Indian accent): "Sorry, your ticket is not refundable."

Now, I'm looking at the printed itinerary which says in large font, all caps: "REFUNDABLE". The agent on the phone sees the same thing on her computer. Sorry, nothing she can do but she gives me a helpful address (snail mail) to write to and maybe they can help me.

I say, "No, we're gonna clear this up right now. This is outright consumer fraud. I never asked to have my existing itinerary modified, I hold in my hand a refundable ticket that you are refusing to refund. Let's escalate this & give me your supervisor."

So I get an even worse Indian-accent supervisor, he researches and says it's not really refundable but he'll do his best. He will submit it right now for a refund request but there will be a $220 cancellation fee." Now I really go off!! I was quite clear when I bought the ticket that I would probably end up cancelling & asking if I would get all my money back. I was assured by the ticket agent in Guam that I would, and never got any notice of a cancellation fee. Still, I wanna get the refund process started & I decide to fight the fee another time. So we end our conversation and hang up, before I realize the nuance of what the supervisor had said: "I will submit a request for refund" vs "I am processing the refund." So I think he scammed me & I never noticed. That was 2 days ago & no refund has processed yet on my credit card.

I have 2 more weeks to fight this battle before the scheduled flight & I won't let it go. But I have never felt so abused by a U.S. corporation as I do right now by UAL. BTW, Thai immigration never asked about a return or onward ticket so this was all a useless drill. There were several other lower-risk ways I could have handled it but I thought I was smarter than everyone. Turns out I'm not smarter than a mega-global conglomerate who is skilled at separating customers from their money in any number of ingenious ways. Hopefully this will all work out in the end; we're talking about $850 at stake that I'm not gonna roll over on.

[lomatopo]

I think there may be two parts to your question:

1.) Does the fare allow for cancellation and refund without any additional fees?

2.) How quickly does a particular airline/agent/regional office process a refund?

In all honesty there are very few fare buckets which allow for a full refund, without charging a fee which can range from a small amount to something close to 100% of the value of the ticket.

And, assuming you purchased an extremely expensive economy fare (full Y), or business class (J/C) fare, each airline, local agent, local office, is probably going to vary widely re: processing refunds in a timely manner (fewer than 30 days).

Your best bet would be to focus on a national carrier, say MH or TG, for KUL-BKK in full fare business, with a direct counter purchase using a credit card which offers a modicum of protection re: disputed charges.

Note that a full Y fare on TG charges 2,000 THB for a cancellation/refund.

Fare rules & restrictions

Thai Airways TG YOWTG KUL to BKK

General notes

ECONOMY UNRESTRICTED FARES Y

-snip-

Penalties

NOTE -

CANCELLIATIONS

ANY TIME PERMITTED FOR CANCEL/NO-SHOW/REFUND.

REFUND FEE FOR UNRESTRICTED FARES ISSUED IN

THAILAND IS THB2000.THE FEE ONLY APPLY TO WHOLLY

UNUSE TICKET/NO SHOW.

But I have never felt so abused by a U.S. corporation as I do right now by UAL.

I assume you reviewed the itinerary, changes, and associated fare rules, before signing the CC slip? Hard to figure how you were "abused" - it sounds like you requested a change to your ticketed itinerary, UACO accommodated your request, and you agreed to pay for it?

Edited February 4, 2013 by lomatopo

[KHR1010]

I'm in the midst of a horror story right now with United. It's my first experience dealing with refundable tickets.

I had one-way tix to Thailand, but United wouldn't let me board in Guam. They said Thai immigration might not let me in (which I already knew). I'm thinking I'm so smart -- I'll buy a refundable return ticket, enter the country, then cancel the ticket.

Not so fast! I called yesterday to process my refund and there is massive confusion on the other end. I'm on hold a total of about 30 minutes. Turns out, the ticket agent in Guam added my return tickets to my existing itinerary to Thailand, thus by their accounting I've already started the trip which makes the refund a dicier proposition. They continue to research, then come back with the answer (delivered in a cheerful Indian accent): "Sorry, your ticket is not refundable."

Now, I'm looking at the printed itinerary which says in large font, all caps: "REFUNDABLE". The agent on the phone sees the same thing on her computer. Sorry, nothing she can do but she gives me a helpful address (snail mail) to write to and maybe they can help me.

I say, "No, we're gonna clear this up right now. This is outright consumer fraud. I never asked to have my existing itinerary modified, I hold in my hand a refundable ticket that you are refusing to refund. Let's escalate this & give me your supervisor."

So I get an even worse Indian-accent supervisor, he researches and says it's not really refundable but he'll do his best. He will submit it right now for a refund request but there will be a $220 cancellation fee." Now I really go off!! I was quite clear when I bought the ticket that I would probably end up cancelling & asking if I would get all my money back. I was assured by the ticket agent in Guam that I would, and never got any notice of a cancellation fee. Still, I wanna get the refund process started & I decide to fight the fee another time. So we end our conversation and hang up, before I realize the nuance of what the supervisor had said: "I will submit a request for refund" vs "I am processing the refund." So I think he scammed me & I never noticed. That was 2 days ago & no refund has processed yet on my credit card.

I have 2 more weeks to fight this battle before the scheduled flight & I won't let it go. But I have never felt so abused by a U.S. corporation as I do right now by UAL. BTW, Thai immigration never asked about a return or onward ticket so this was all a useless drill. There were several other lower-risk ways I could have handled it but I thought I was smarter than everyone. Turns out I'm not smarter than a mega-global conglomerate who is skilled at separating customers from their money in any number of ingenious ways. Hopefully this will all work out in the end; we're talking about $850 at stake that I'm not gonna roll over on.

Go to the United Airlines office in Silom and sort this in person.

[craigt3365]

I bought 2 economy return tickets BKK-LAS 2 years ago. For a variety of reasons, we had to delay the trip. I had an excellent experience with UAL in getting them rescheduled and rebooked. For some reason, I even got money back after the fees were taken out (incredibly, fares went down!).

I think your problem is an agent screwed up and told you the wrong thing. Hard for them to know exactly what the agent did or did not say. You're in a tough spot. They should have issued you a separate ticket, not just added on to your original. And you should have verified they were separate itineraries.

P.S. Most airlines won't let you take off with a one way ticket to Thailand. It's the law here, and if enforced, the airline has to pay for your return trip as you can't gain entry to the country. One reason they are so strict about it. Being denied entry here is rare, but it does happen. When I had to get a return ticket for the Philippines, they never checked it either. But it is the law there, just like here and in many other countries.

Hope you get everything resolved. Don't be shy to escalate to another level if your not getting a satisfactory response. It can, at times, make a huge difference.

I had to deal with some issues at their Silom office a few years ago on another matter. I had a very good experience there. Very responsive.

[lomatopo]

P.S. Most airlines won't let you take off with a one way ticket to Thailand. It's the law here, and if enforced, the airline has to pay for your return trip as you can't gain entry to the country.

Yes, a simple $40 Tourist Visa would have addressed this IDB situation.

[WhizBang]

Just to add my 2 cents to this. I had a GOOD experience with Northwest (long before delta eat them). I had an open business class return from Bangkok to Orlando. I had been in Thailand a year (well almost), and was planning to leave about two weeks after my ticket was due to expire. I went in to NWA here in Bangkok and asked if I could get an extention on my ticket.

Answer, No. But they would refund the unused return ticket and issue a new ticket. Anyway, long story short, they refunded me a tad over 50% of my original price, plus, the cost of the new ticket was less than the original.

[USNret]

I think there may be two parts to your question:

1.) Does the fare allow for cancellation and refund without any additional fees?

2.) How quickly does a particular airline/agent/regional office process a refund?

In all honesty there are very few fare buckets which allow for a full refund, without charging a fee which can range from a small amount to something close to 100% of the value of the ticket.

And, assuming you purchased an extremely expensive economy fare (full Y), or business class (J/C) fare, each airline, local agent, local office, is probably going to vary widely re: processing refunds in a timely manner (fewer than 30 days).

Your best bet would be to focus on a national carrier, say MH or TG, for KUL-BKK in full fare business, with a direct counter purchase using a credit card which offers a modicum of protection re: disputed charges.

Note that a full Y fare on TG charges 2,000 THB for a cancellation/refund.

Fare rules & restrictions

Thai Airways TG YOWTG KUL to BKK

General notes

ECONOMY UNRESTRICTED FARES Y

-snip-

Penalties

NOTE -

CANCELLIATIONS

ANY TIME PERMITTED FOR CANCEL/NO-SHOW/REFUND.

REFUND FEE FOR UNRESTRICTED FARES ISSUED IN

THAILAND IS THB2000.THE FEE ONLY APPLY TO WHOLLY

UNUSE TICKET/NO SHOW.

But I have never felt so abused by a U.S. corporation as I do right now by UAL.

I assume you reviewed the itinerary, changes, and associated fare rules, before signing the CC slip? Hard to figure how you were "abused" - it sounds like you requested a change to your ticketed itinerary, UACO accommodated your request, and you agreed to pay for it?

I did not request a change to my ticketed itinerary. I asked for a return ticket. The agent apparently decided to modify my existing itinerary rather than create a new confirmation code. This is a subtlety that escaped my notice; how many people compare the new confirmation code to an existing one when buying a separate ticket?

Yes, I did read everything presented to me. No mention of a cancellation fee. The agent on the phone mentioned their online Terms & Conditions which, after reviewing, says nothing about cancellation fees. Then they tried to blame a "third party booking agent" until I explained it was booked by their employee, at their ticket counter. No third party involved. Next, they said the agent entered a confusion of codes when booking; one leg to Narita is refundable; the other to BKK was not. This makes the whole thing non-refundable, in their minds. This is hard to discern when the paperwork I was given simply says "REFUNDABLE" with no nuance about which leg where is what.

I guess my biggest gripe is the BIG, BOLD, ALL CAPS "REFUNDABLE" on my printed itinerary which I took as a modest suggestion that this ticket might, in fact, be refundable. My bad for making such an extrapolation of logic.

At any rate, I'm leaving Thailand tomorrow via Manila. I will sort this out when I get back home.

Edited February 4, 2013 by USNret

[Bpuumike]

Why not just book the flight in Malaysia if and when you decide you want to fly back.

Too simple, or have I missed something?

[uhuh]

- buy directly from airline, not from an agent, If you want a refund the agent will loose his commission - why should he help you?

- buy in the airline's office, and ask them to sell you full fare, fully reroutable and refundable, tell them you are not sure whether you will really travel or not

- buy full fare, best is business class as in economy class there are too many tricky promotions and restrictions; full fare business is always refundable

- buy from an expensive, old fashioned airline (LH will refund easier and quicker than MH, and MH probably easier than EK)

- dont buy from an American airline, they dont like this (quote: "we are not Western Union")

- pay with a credit card (not a debit card), go to get your refund in the airline's office after a couple of days, before you have to pay your credit card bill. So your credit card will be credited immediately, and as you haven't paid your credit card bill yet, you got the whole thing for free.

[patient]

thanks all. some goos tips.

seems like biz class is the way to go with credit card.

Puu...purpose of ticket is to avoid any immigration entry issue

Uhuh...am i correct to assume LH is Lufthansa airlines..do u have any experience of a refund from them...any fees like thai has with 2000B.

cheers.

Edited February 4, 2013 by patient

[lomatopo]

purpose of ticket is to avoid any immigration entry issue

Maybe cheapest, easiest, simplest, best to just get a real Tourist Visa? Any real Tourist Visa removes any potential IDB problems. A real Tourist Visa might run you $40.

And I would strongly urge you to read the terms and conditions for any ticket re: cancellation. Even full on J (business class) can carry a cancellation fee - 120 Euros on the Lufthansa (LH) tag flight KUL-BKK in Business Class.

Again, there are very, very, very few fares, even in P/J, which do not have a cancellation fee. Note that a cancellation/refund is much, much different than a "change". Most people seem to be discussing experiences with "changes".

If obtaining a real Tourist Visa somehow presents insurmountable challenges then perhaps a simple 1,500 THB (all in) throw-away on FD for XXX-HAN/SGN might work?

[qdinthailand]

This all seems silly (on the part of the airlines) in that why can't you just say, "Once in Thailand, I'm traveling overland to Malaysia, then Indonesia, then.... and I'm not sure when I'm returning, but rest assured, I'll leave Thailand per terms of my tourist visa".

I flew here the last time (been here nearly 2 years now) from the U.S. on a one-way ticket. Never asked about a return ticket.

BTW - the one way ticket cost same as a return trip ticket.

Edited February 5, 2013 by qdinthailand

[craigt3365]

This all seems silly (on the part of the airlines) in that why can't you just say, "Once in Thailand, I'm traveling overland to Malaysia, then Indonesia, then.... and I'm not sure when I'm returning, but rest assured, I'll leave Thailand per terms of my tourist visa".

I flew here the last time (been here nearly 2 years now) from the U.S. on a one-way ticket. Never asked about a return ticket.

BTW - the one way ticket cost same as a return trip ticket.

Please read my post above. It's not a problem with the airlines, it's a law here in Thailand. And many other countries as well. You have to have a return flight when coming to Thailand, or have a valid visa in your passport. One or the other is required.

Some do get away without having a return trip, many don't. Again, it's not the airlines fault.

[californiabeachboy]

I have flown Cathay Pacific to Thailand many times, and their basic economy fare provides for a USD 100 (or maybe $150) cancellation fee. I have used it once to change my itinerary. As I recall, they took a while to make the refund (something like 30 days), but in the end they credited my cc with the price paid less the $100 - no complaints. If you deal directly with the airlines for ticketing, I think you are in better shape when it comes to a refund.

[lomatopo]

I have flown Cathay Pacific to Thailand many times, and their basic economy fare provides for a USD 100 (or maybe $150) cancellation fee. I have used it once to change my itinerary. As I recall, they took a while to make the refund (something like 30 days), but in the end they credited my cc with the price paid less the $100 - no complaints. If you deal directly with the airlines for ticketing, I think you are in better shape when it comes to a refund.

On CX, for most fares USA-BKK, the cancellation fee remains $100 (USD). Not sure how this helps the OP though?

Note that in the event of "changes" you may find yourself having to buy up to a higher available fare bucket, or in some cases - as was mentioned up-thread - avail yourself of a lower fare bucket resulting in a potential credit, after any change fee is applied. You also might run in to some "seasonality" issues, when a change moves you into a more (or less) expensive "season".

--snip-- CX fare rules : "L"

CANCELLATIONS

BEFORE DEPARTURE

CHARGE USD 100.00 FOR CANCEL/REFUND.

CHANGES

ANY TIME

CHARGE USD 100.00 FOR REISSUE.

[patient]

ok thanks everyone

no more free refundable tickets it seems...they alll charge

. seems easiest is a cheap tix...good thing air asia just started another sale!

[callao]

I just had to reshedule my flight SFO BKK with China airlines booked directly thru them, if you buy a new ticket thru them then cancel the other ticket as a duplicate no fees and had my 100% credit within 2 weeks, fare was cheaper too

[lomatopo]

I just had to reshedule my flight SFO BKK with China airlines booked directly thru them, if you buy a new ticket thru them then cancel the other ticket as a duplicate no fees and had my 100% credit within 2 weeks, fare was cheaper too

Not sure exactly what you did but the fare rules indicate a $100 cancellation fee, and a $100 change fee. My best guess, you cancelled and got a refund less $100, then purchased a new ticket, or paid $100 to re-issue the ticket, perhaps in a lower fare bucket and received some sort of partial refund.

I guess it's possible CI in the U.S. extends more favorable rules? Again, not sure how this helps the OP?

China Airlines CI NLXNP3M3 SFO to BKK

CANCELLATIONS

ANY TIME

CHARGE USD 100.00 FOR REFUND.

WAIVED FOR DEATH OF PASSENGER OR FAMILY MEMBER.

NOTE -

CHILD DISCOUNT APPLY.

USD 100.00 IS NOT REFUNDABLE.

WAIVER MUST BE SUBSTANTIATED BY A DEATH

CERTIFICATE.

CHANGES

BEFORE DEPARTURE

CHANGES PERMITTED.

NOTE -

REBOOKING OF OUTBOUND TRANSPACIFIC SECTOR AND/OR

REROUTING AND/OR OTHER CHANGES WHICH REQUIRES

TKT REISSUE IS PERMITTED AT PAYMENT OF USD100

ADMINISTRATIVE FEE TO CI WITH MANDATORY TKT

REISSUANCE. REBOOKING OF ALL OTHER SECTORS OTHER

THAN THE OUTBOUND TRANSPACIFIC SECTOR IS

PERMITTED WITHOUT ADMINISTRATIVE FEE WITHIN

TICKET VALIDITY. CHILD DISCOUNT APPLY. FARE MUST

BE RECALCULATED BY USING CURRENT FARES IN EFFECT

AT THE TIME OF REISSUE AND ANY APPLICABLE

DIFFERENCE MUST BE ADD-COLLECTED. VERIFY ALL FARE

RULES.

[callao]

No its a special feature on the cancellation refund form the China airlines CS rep told me how to do it $100 dollar fee waived on a dupicate ticket

[kbelyeu]

I'd suggest purchasing full fare tickets on thai airways to anywhere using your credit card online. After about a month I had to cancel the tickets and received a full refund in about a week on my credit card at a cost of 1000 baht per ticket.

Not bad since my phillipiine air tickets just went to sh*t.

Kurt

[easton]

Without going into all of the details, it took Bangkok Airways 11 months to issue me a refund. Korean Air was under 30 days.

[raybal5]

With some minor exceptions, there really is no such thing as a fully refundable ticket. There are always fees. What most people do not realize is that there are many different classes of economy fares and each have their own different fare rules (terms and conditions). AND not only do they vary from airline to airline, they can vary on the same airline depending on route or season or whatever. Consistency and logic is something you should never ever assume when it comes to airfares. As people have said before, a fully refundable fare WILL be expense. Possibly more expensive than a last minute booking.

Seriously, if you are a bit uncertain if you will be returning by air, DO NOT BOOK that sector. Even if there is a refund to be paid it will take from many weeks to many months (depending on airline) to process plus there will be a cancellation fee to be paid.

You would be better off not booking the return until you are 100% certain that you will be travelling.

Edited February 11, 2013 by raybal5

[Minnehaha]

I had to cancel 3 Thai Airways tix BKK-JFK return. We were 3 people. Trip canceled 1 week before departure. Thai Airways cheerfully said yes, you can get refund, minus charges. It will take 6 MONTHS.

It took 6 months and 2 days.

How did they know it would be so exact? Do they sit on it until 5 months 28 days?

[Minnehaha]

Thai AirAsia is great. You gotta be careful with the website cause it automatically adds lots of charges - dont book a seat under any circumstances, do not allow it to add luggage, dont choose a meal, etc. If you are very careful their fares are so cheap I cant believe it. I suggest getting a fully refundable one from them.

[roamer]

Best way to avoid the headache is to decide on one mode of transport.

[uhuh]

thanks all. some goos tips.

seems like biz class is the way to go with credit card.

Puu...purpose of ticket is to avoid any immigration entry issue

Uhuh...am i correct to assume LH is Lufthansa airlines..do u have any experience of a refund from them...any fees like thai has with 2000B.

cheers.

LH = Lufthansa

refund used to be quick (a week maybe), no charge

ask them whether this has changed

[uhuh]

i just asked LH

fee is now 125 Euro if tix issued in Thailand

so u can just forget it, to buy Airasia KL-Hadyai or something like that is cheaper

[hermespan]

This is a very useful thread. Thanks to all contributors.

I need to buy a ticket for someone else and am concerned about some screwaround like they give the passenger the refund or credit not me, if he doesn't fly.

I checked BKK Air and their site 'details' the differences between various fares except where it really matters. OK, so fare changes and fare refunds are permitted for a fee. That's vague. I want to know precisely how much and when do I get it.

I suppose I could call their office but where I am they close at night. Hard to book a ticket with eyes wide open if one does not have all the facts.