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Airline tickets should be treated like cash; lost tickets
are not easy to refund.
Payment by credit card provides certain protections
under federal credit laws. When a refund is due, the
airline must forward a credit to your card company
within seven business days after receiving a
complete refund application. If you paid by credit
card for a refundable fare and you have trouble
getting a refund that you are due, report this in
writing to your credit card company. If you write to
them within 60 days from the time that they mailed
your first monthly statement showing the charge for
the airline ticket, the card company should credit
your account even if the airline doesn't. This
procedure is particularly useful if your airline ceases
operations before your flight.
Lost tickets
Airline tickets are similar to negotiable documents.
Because of this, refunds can be difficult to obtain if
tickets are lost or stolen. Many passengers believe
that air tickets can be replaced as easily as travelers
checks just because the reservation is in the
computer, but that is not the case.
Your ticket number may be shown on your
credit card receipt or travel agency itinerary. If it is
not, jot down the number on a sheet of paper and
carry it separately from your ticket. Bring it with
you on your trip. If the ticket does go astray, the
airline can process your refund application more
quickly, and perhaps issue an on-the-spot
replacement ticket, if you can give them this
number.
You should report a lost ticket immediately
to the airline that is shown as the issuing carrier at
the top of the ticket. You may be required to
repurchase a ticket in order to continue your trip. If
you no longer meet all of the restrictions on your
discount fare (e.g., seven-day advance purchase) the
new ticket may cost more than the old one did. In
that event, however, it is generally the higher fare
that is eventually refunded, as long as you don't
change any of the cities, flights or dates on your trip.
Once the airline establishes that you
actually bought the ticket, they will begin processing
your refund application. There is often a waiting
period of two to six months. If anyone uses or
cashes in your ticket while the refund is pending, the
airline may refuse to give you your money back.
Finally, there is a handling charge that the airline
may deduct from the refund.
All in all, getting a refund or replacement
for a lost ticket is a lot of trouble, and there's no
guarantee you'll receive either one. So the best
advice is don't lose the ticket in the first place.
Airlines don't guarantee their schedules, and you
should realize this when planning your trip. There
are many things that can—and often do—make it
impossible for flights to arrive on time. Some of
these problems, like bad weather, air traffic delays,
and mechanical repairs, are hard to predict and
beyond the airlines control.
If your flight is delayed, try to find out how
late it will be. But keep in mind that it is sometimes
difficult for airlines to estimate the total duration of
a delay during its early stages. In so-called “creeping
delays, developments occur which were not
anticipated when the carrier made its initial estimate
of the length of the delay. Weather that had been
forecast to improve can instead deteriorate, or a
mechanical problem can turn out to be more
complex than initially determined.
If the problem is with local weather or air
traffic control, all flights will probably be late and
there's not much you or the airline can do to speed
up your departure. If there's a mechanical problem
with the plane for your particular flight or if the
crew is delayed on an incoming flight, you might be
better off trying to arrange another flight, as long as
you don't have to pay a cancellation penalty or
higher fare for changing your reservations. (It is
sometimes easier to make such arrangements from a
pay phone than at a ticket counter.) If you find a
flight on another airline, ask the first airline to
endorse your ticket to the new carrier; this could
save you a fare increase. Remember, however, that
there is no rule requiring them to do this.
If your flight is canceled, most airlines will
rebook you on the first flight of theirs to your
destination on which space is available, at no
additional charge. If this involves a significant delay
find out if another carrier has space, and ask the first
airline to endorse your ticket. Finding extra seats
may be difficult, however, especially over holidays
and other peak travel times.
A departure early in the day is less likely to be delayed
than a later flight.
Each airline has its own policies about what
it will do for delayed passengers waiting at the
airport; there are no federal requirements. If you are
delayed, ask the airline staff if they will pay for
meals or a phone call. Some airlines, often those
charging very low fares, do not provide any
amenities to stranded passengers. Others may not
offer amenities if the delay is caused by bad weather
or something else beyond the airline's control.
Contrary to popular belief, airlines are not
required to compensate passengers whose flights are
delayed or canceled. As discussed in the chapter on
overbooking, compensation is required by law only
when you are “bumped” from a flight that is
oversold. Airlines almost always refuse to pay
passengers for financial losses resulting from a
delayed flight. If the purpose of your trip is to close
a potentially lucrative business deal, to give a speech
or lecture, to attend a family function, or to be
present at any time-sensitive event, you might want
to allow a little extra leeway and take an earlier
flight. In other words, airline delays and
cancellations aren't unusual, and
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