So your flight’s canceled. And after the initial anger and tears settle, you realize getting re-booked on a later flight with that airline isn’t ideal, maybe because you’ve found a better option elsewhere. But while airlines are, in fact, legally obligatedtooffer you a refund in the event of a canceled flight, you should know that money probably won’t come easily.
Over on Elliott Advocacy, one traveler was desperate for help after Alaska Airlines canceled his flight; it took over five weeks, a back-and-forth with both the airline and an online travel agency (and Elliot Advocacy stepping in on their behalf) before a refund was finally processed.
How exactly do airlines get away with keeping your money for weeks at a time after failing to provide any services? Well, they’re shitty, for one. But there are a few things you should know if ever you find yourself in this scenario and any situation in which you qualify for a refund from an airline (like, say, you’ve canceled a refundable ticket).
For one, you are entitled to a refund of the ticket price and “associated fees,” as per the Department of Transportation’s website, so understand that you should be refunded the full cost of your ticket and any booking fees. In terms of a timeline, all travel agencies and airlines are required to process a refund within seven business days of your flight’s cancelation if you paid by credit card (and 20 if you paid by cash or check).
Here’s where it gets tricky; as Christopher Elliott writes: “processing” a refund doesn’t mean that refund will hit your account within seven days (or even close). In fact, it generally means an airline might only initiate the process with your bank and actually take anywhere from one to two months before the refund finally makes its way to you. In other words, it takes a while and there’s not a whole you can do to prompt an airline to work any quicker, given the vague language in place by the DoT.
Where does this leave you? Well, it’s a waiting game. You should still follow up with the airline if you haven’t been given an approximate timeline and throughout the refund process. If you’ve used a travel agency or third-party booking site, well, it will almost always delay the process further. (An airline might refund the travel agency first, for example.) Again, follow up with them to ensure that the refund process has begun, at the very least.
And if worst comes to worst and you’ve been waiting months for any sign of a lifeline, have your credit card company step in and issue a chargeback and file a complaint with the airline via the Department of Transportation’s website. If you need to change your flight last-minute, here’s another guide on what you might expect to pay.
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