Thankfully, most airlines now offer flexible cancellation policies, especially if you booked your flight using points or miles. If you purchase the appropriate fare with an airline that has accommodating cancellation rules, you might not lose hundreds of dollars or be responsible for hefty fines if your plans suddenly change.
It can be difficult to understand each airline’s cancellation and refund policies, though, because there are so many different airlines and they all have different flight cancellation policies. In the blog we will share the overview of the major US airlines cancellation and refund policies to make things simpler.
Can I Cancel a Flight and Receive Refund?
These days, you can cancel a flight very easily, and many airlines even provide you the choice to do so online. All airlines provide you the option to change or cancel your reservation, and many also offer some kind of reimbursement. When you purchase a nonrefundable fare, which is the most popular fare type, you typically receive a credit or voucher that can be used for a future flight. However, some flights charge a cost, and some airlines base the fee on how long in advance you cancel.
● Delta Airlines Cancellation Policy:
Delta airlines offer customers a 24-hour risk-free cancellation window during which they can change their minds and cancel their flight without paying a penalty fee. As compared to the other airlines, they have flexible and hassle free flight cancellation policies.
As per the Delta airlines flight cancellation policy, Travellers can cancel a non-refundable ticket and receive their money back as eCredit, however depending on the ticket type, passengers can be penalized a cancellation fee. Those with non-refundable tickets will either be rebooked on an alternative flight or will convert their ticket to eCredit for future Delta travel if there is a flight cancellation or major delay. If they have a refundable ticket, travellers can easily request a refund online.
● United Airlines Cancellation Policy:
If a reservation was made a week or more before departure, United allows passengers to cancel or change their reservations within 24 hours of the original time of booking under the United airlines cancellation policy. Also, as per the United airlines website, the majority of their fares are non-refundable and those that can be refunded are subject to a cancellation fee.
Some tickets can have their value applied to other flights depending on the type of ticket, although there might be extra charges. In the event of a major delay, non-refundable tickets may be eligible for travel credits or a complete refund; otherwise, travellers can postpone their trips without being penalised.
● American Airlines Cancellation Policy:
Except for American Airlines basic economy fares, almost all reservations with American Airlines can be cancelled without being charged. There are, however, some flights with slightly different rules that have their origins outside of North and South America. If you cannot make the flight, you will lose the full cost of the ticket as basic economy fares do not allow any cancellations, not even for a fee. According to American airlines cancellation policy, apart from basic economy flights, you can cancel your reservation and get a travel credit that lasts for one year after the original ticket was issued.
● JetBlue Airways Cancellation Policy:
Flights on JetBlue can be cancelled within 24 hours without paying any fees as long as the trip was booked seven days in advance or more. For a cost, non-refundable flights may be cancelled; the remaining balance will be issued as credit as per the JetBlue airways cancellation policy. Refundable JetBlue fares allow for cancellations at any time before to the scheduled departure with a full payment to the original method of payment. When a flight is cancelled, passengers have three options: they board the next flight without paying any charges, get travel credit, or get a complete refund in the form of the original payment.
● Frontier Airlines Cancellation Policy:
If you cancel a Frontier ticket 60 days or more before your flight, there is no cost as per the Frontier airlines cancellation policy. However, if you cancel your flight within the 60-day timeframe, you will be charged a fee for cancellations made between 59 and 7 days before departure, and also you need to pay a fee for cancellations made six days or less prior to departure.
Final Words:
It’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with the airlines policies before buying your next ticket. Although you always hope that your original travel plans go off without a hitch, sometimes life happens and you may need to cancel a flight. Booking with a more profitable airline or choosing a price class with more flexibility may be your best option if you aren’t sure of your plans while making your trip reservations.
