Canceling a flight

[citykid]

Anyone have any suggestion on what to do if you purchased non-refundable tickets and can not use them. The airlines do not let you switch tickets to another name. Must be the name origionally on the ticket. So I can't cancel the tix and I can not sell them to someone else.
Feel like I am screwed.

 

[gravity]

whenever i have canceled non-refundable tickets, i have always received 'store credit' from the airline, but it has been a few years, perhaps things have changed.

best of luck.

 

[Damselfish]

Well, if you don't want the restrictions of non-refundable tickets, you have to buy the more expensive ones. That's the way it works and the chance you take. Non-refundable usually means while you can't get your money back, you can use the value of the ticket within some period of time - probably with the payment of a hefty fee. The rules vary by airline.

 

[DandyDon]

Anyone have any suggestion on what to do if you purchased non-refundable tickets and can not use them. The airlines do not let you switch tickets to another name. Must be the name origionally on the ticket. So I can't cancel the tix and I can not sell them to someone else.
Feel like I am screwed.

You generally have credit with that one airline for the purchase prices less penalty to use within a year.

Trip insurance is cheap;

Ticket insurance sold by the airlines is cheaper;

But some people take their chances - and lose. It's fine when friends ignore my suggestions to buy insurance, for trips, cameras, etc - but I don't pity them when they lose. I once saw several people pay huge prices to escape Cozumel in advance of a hurricane and when they moaned about not having insurance, as I had suggested several times, I reminded them of the $50 they saved not buying it.​

Where were you going, and what airline? Why did you cancel...?

 

[DeputyDan]

You did buy - non refundable tickets.....

It was a choice

 

[DandyDon]

Do cancel if you're not going. If you no-show, you often have no residual value...!

 

[carriemak]

Check with the airline. Sometimes the reason you are cancelling works in your favor: ie: medical reasons.

 

[HowardE]

Cancellation before the departure date, usually results in a "change fee" to the original ticket. It is non-refundable but it is cancel-able... you just won't get your money back, and you'll have a credit with that airline; minus the change fee (usually around $150 these days). So - you're not really CANCELING the ticket... you're just rescheduling it. You usually have 1 year from date of travel to re-schedule A trip with them, for your credit to be valid.

A FULL FARE ticket or "refundable ticket" usually 2-3 times more expensive means you can make changes to the ticket such as travel date, and it's unrestricted, meaning no change fees.

However... DO cancel the ticket, and don't just no-show. A No-show entirely voids any chance of credit with the airline.

 

[DandyDon]

Check with the airline. Sometimes the reason you are cancelling works in your favor: ie: medical reasons.

Yeah, I don't want to be rough on him, which is why I asked for info. Like to help.

Damn airlines started with a $25 change fee, then $50, then up. They have the use of your money while waiting on you to go; why do they need more than $25 admin fee with say - 7 days notice...?

 

[citykid]

I got the trip insurance. Unfortunatly a storm did not hit nor am I at deaths door. Damn!

You guys are right. You get what you pay for. But I can hold the tix for a year.

Who knows, maybe I just suck it up and go anayway. Thanks for the input and the beatings.