Non-refundable airline tickets are a great way to save money, but such tickets are only suitable for travelers who are one hundred percent sure of their plans. However, even the most well-thought-out tourists are not protected from force majeure situations or problems from the airline itself. How and when can you get a refund for a non-refundable airline ticket – in the material of “Evening Moscow”.
Respectable reasons and force majeure situations
A non-refundable ticket does not provide for compensation in case of flight refusal. Nevertheless, in some cases, a tourist may count on full or partial refund.
For example, the airline must refund the money for the ticket if it did not fulfill its obligations provided for in the contract. For example:
- The flight was canceled, delayed, or rescheduled, interfering with the client’s plans;
- The passenger was delayed during inspection and no prohibited substances or objects were found on them;
- The client was provided with a seat in a class different from the one specified in the ticket;
- Passengers did not have enough seats on the plane (overbooking).
Money can also be refunded in case the passenger had a respectable reason for refusing the flight. This includes the illness of a family member who was supposed to fly with the passenger on the same flight. Another respectable reason is the sudden death of a close relative. In this case, family members are considered spouses and children, and close relatives are parents, grandparents, siblings.
“The carrier may consider the passenger’s refusal of transportation to be justified in other cases as well, so it is also necessary to read the internal rules of the airline,” noted lawyer Sergey Zhorin.
If the passenger is at fault for missing the flight – overslept or confused the departure time – they can try to get a partial refund of the airline ticket cost. According to the Air Code of the Russian Federation, airlines are required to compensate the client for airport fees for the airports they never reached due to flight refusal. Sometimes the contract also provides for the possibility of refunding fuel and service fees.
The situation with foreign airlines is not so straightforward. According to Zhorin, often such airline tickets are sold through Russian intermediaries. In such cases, the rules for refunding money for a missed flight are similar.
“However, if the tickets were purchased directly from a foreign airline, in this case, the legislation of the country where this company is registered will apply,” the human rights activist explained.
From warning to lawsuit
You can refuse a non-refundable ticket before the end of check-in for the flight. To do this, you can call the airline or send an email. The exact date and time of the call should be recorded. This way, it will be easier for the passenger to prove that they contacted the carrier in advance.
Then it will be necessary to prove that the reason for refusing the flight was valid. To do this, you can use a medical certificate of illness, a death certificate of a close relative, or a cover letter describing the situation. The collected documents, along with a copy of the tickets, should be attached to the application to the airline. It can also be sent by email or regular mail.
If the airline refuses to refund the money for the ticket, you should go to court. You should start with a pre-trial claim against the carrier. If this does not help either, the next step will be to file a lawsuit. In it, the passenger is entitled to demand a penalty, compensation for moral damage and lawyer’s expenses, as well as a fine for refusing to refund the money.