These days traveling by air is quite commonplace. From work, vacation, or to visit family. Flying is quick and easy to get to some faraway places. So, after a person booked travel on the airline, but plans changed, either they got sick, there was an emergency, or the travel date just shifted.
That is where the question commonly comes. “Can I cancel my flight ticket?” and “Do I get my money back if I cancel my ticket?” When someone cancels a flight ticket, it’s advising the airline not to expect you to travel on that specific flight. The airlines, at this time, will “allow” another passenger to take your seat.
For example:
Let’s say you’ve reserved a flight from Delhi to Mumbai for next Monday. Unexpectedly, your school exam date has changed, and now you cannot fly. You would call the airline or access your reservation online and locate “Cancel Ticket,” which assumes you will not be traveling, and the airline will now release your seat onto the “open seat” for a different passenger.
💰What is a “Refund”?
To get a refund means a passenger requested the airline to reimburse the price of a ticket they paid the airline to fly. An airline could offer or approve a refund of full price or partial price to the passenger that cancelled their flight. That would depend on airlines guidelines and rules about starting facings and refund.
Are all tickets refundable?
The answer is no. Not all tickets are refundable. It depends on the type of ticket you bought. There are typically two main types of tickets that the airline sells to passengers:
1. Refundable Tickets
Refundable tickets are easy to cancel and get most or all of the money back. Refundable tickets are typically more expensive than normal tickets. People usually purchase these tickets when they are unsure about their travel dates.
👉 Example:
A businessman who travels frequently will often purchase a refundable ticket because the dates of his meetings might change on short notice.
2. Non-Refundable Tickets
Non-refundable tickets will cost less than refundable tickets, but you will not receive any money back if you cancel. In some cases, the airline will refund a portion of the ticket after cancelling and deducting fees, or only refund the taxes on the ticket.
👉 Example:
If you book a flight during a sale and receive a large discount, that will more than likely not be a refundable ticket.
What is the Cancellation Process?
Cancellations can be completed in two ways:
1. Cancellation Online
Visit the airline’s website or the website of the travel agency (for instance, MakeMyTrip or sky view travels or yatra), and click “Manage Booking” or “Cancel Ticket.”
Then you will see how much you will be refunded, and confirm termination.
2. Cancellation Offline
You may also call customer care or visit the area of the airline’s office. They will help you cancel, and provide refund details.
💸 What are Cancellation Charges?
Whenever you cancel a ticket, an airline will usually charge a small fee (called a cancellation charge) that varies based on:
- How close to the flight date you cancel
- The type of ticket you purchased
- The airline’s policy
👉 Example: If you cancelled 7 days before your flight, the airline might take off ₹500. But if you cancelled 2 hours before your flight, they could take off ₹2,000 or even more.
The best practice is to cancel as soon as you know you want to cancel in order to get the most back in refund!
📆 What is the 24-Hour Free Cancellation?
Some airlines will allow you to cancel and have a full refund within 24 hours of purchasing the ticket. This means if you buy a ticket today and decide to change your plans in the first 24 hours, you will receive all your money back if you cancel.
👉 Example: You buy a flight at 10 am in buying the ticket today, cancelling before 10 am on Tuesday will provide a full refund.
*Not all airlines will allow that, or the same policies may not be applied in the same fashion. Check their cancellation policies before confirming the purchase. In some instances, the airline itself will cancel your flight, often for reasons such as bad weather, mechanical or safety concerns, or government restrictions. In these cases, the airline will generally:
Refund you in full or offer another flight.
👉 For example,
If your flight was cancelled because of rain, the airline might allow you to fly on the next day for free or provide a full ticket refund.
🧾What if I booked with a travel agency?
If you used a travel agent such as Sky View Travels to book your trip, then, cancelling your flight could be even easier!
Simply call your travel agent and they will:
- Cancel your ticket.
- Explain the refund, if any.
- Deal with the necessary paperwork.
Some travel agencies may have even offered the possibility of booking your trip for different dates, as opposed to cancelling your flight altogether.
🔁Can I change dates instead of cancelling?
Yes! Most airlines will allow you to move your original trip to a different date (instead of cancelling the trip).
They will allow you to change your flight, of course charging you the date change fee and the applicable fare difference.
Tips to Avoid Losing Your Money
- Check the cancellation policy before purchasing.
Make sure to read if your ticket is refundable.
- Cancel sooner rather than later.
The sooner you cancel, the more money you will receive back.
- Purchase travel insurance.
Some travel insurance companies will give you your money back if you cancel for a legitimate reason (i.e. medical emergencies, illnesses, etc.)
- Use reputable travel agencies to book travel arrangements.
Travel agencies, such as Sky View Travels, can help explain your refund policy, and can help to manage cancellations.
- Check notifications and emails from the airline.
Sometimes an airline changes or cancels a flight. Always check your notifications.