There’s a common misconception that if you need to cancel a flight ticket, you’ll be lucky to get anything back at all. Sometimes you book in a hurry and select the wrong dates, or if it’s a bargain it may not seem worthwhile chasing the airline for your money. If you’ve ever tried to actually read the airline’s terms and conditions, you’ll see why so many people would rather just leave it, put it down to experience and try to forget the whole ordeal.
However, these days there’s more information out there than ever before to help you, the passenger, fight for your rights. Yes, it can seem like an impossible labyrinth of legal terms, but this article should help you on your way to getting at least some of your money back.
The basics
First things first. You know when you buy a flight ticket, there’s a whole list of other costs when you go to pay? Well, to put it simply, your flight ticket is made up of 3 things: the actual ticket price, the fees and the taxes. Now you know what you’ve paid for, let’s figure out what you can get back…
What can I get refunded?
Whatever your reason for cancelling or not using your ticket, you should get those fees and taxes back in your pocket – even if you bought a non-refundable ticket. Considering taxes and fees can make up a sizeable chunk (up to 70%!) of the full ticket price, this is a pretty good outcome.
Of course, if you bought a refundable ticket you’ve spent a bit more, but it does give you a safety net against losing your money – yes, hindsight is a wonderful thing, plus sometimes you simply don’t want to spend extra ‘just in case’, but there is the option out there, for future reference.
When can I claim?
Across the EU, the deadline to claim varies – for example, in the UK you have 6 years and in Germany you have 3 – so you may still have plenty of time to get some money back!
Whether you cancel your ticket immediately after booking, or you simply don’t make it on the flight, you should still get those taxes and fees returned to you.
What you need to claim
Make sure you keep hold of every single document relating to your flight – this is key! Also, the person who bought the ticket must be the one making the claim.
You can write a letter to the airline requesting your refund. Many people do this, but it can be a stressful and pricey path to go down. To make things easier, you can visit MYFLYRIGHT, check if you have a claim for free and then let them deal with your case with no financial risk – simple, effective, and zero frustration.
Luckily, there is help out there – so whatever the situation, don’t panic! Remember that, even with a non-refundable ticket you should get the taxes and fees back and as long as you have all your documents you can claim with confidence.
