If you have booked a flight and later found out you cannot make your trip, you may be wondering if it is better to cancel your flight or not show up for your flight? Can you reschedule for another time and not lose your money? Not all airlines have the same rules about cancellations and no-shows.
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Is It Better to Cancel Flight or Not Show Up? (Explained!)
You should cancel your ticket if you cannot make your flight instead of being a no show. If you are a no show you will lose the value of the ticket completely unless you have a fullfare ticket. You will retain part of the value of yout ticket and have up to twelve months to use the voucher.
This article will discuss canceling a flight and what a “no-show” means for you. If you would like to know more about these senerios, you will want to read on below.
What Happens When You Cancel a Flight?
If you cancel a flight within the first twenty-four hours after booking, you’ll receivet a complete refund. This refund and time frame is a rule made by the United States Transportation Department. This guarantee is good no matter what type of ticket you purchase.
After that first twenty-four hours after purchase, all other tickets depend on the airline and the type of ticket as to how cancellations are handled. Some airlines will charge you a fee to change or cancel your ticket. The amount of the fee varies from airline to airline and can be as much as a couple of hundred dollars for domestic flights to $750 for an international flight.
Credits on tickets usually need to be used within twelve months of the cancellation of the flight, or you will lose them entirely. Most airlines do not offer refunds on voluntary changes or cancellations by customers.
Since Covid, there have been many changes to airline policies regarding cancellations and changes to your flight’s tickets. Here are some of them:
- Frontier Airlines– If you cancel their flights, you’ll receive a voucher for the value of your ticket. It must be used within ninety days of the cancellation date.
- Hawaiian Airlines– This airline is no longer charging fees for canceled flights.
- Jet Blue Airlines– As of June 8, 2021, they no longer are charging cancellation fees.
- Southwest Airlines– Canceled flights will receive a credit that must be used within twelve months of cancellation.
- Spirit Airlines– Spirit is now waiving cancellation fees.
- Air Canada-Customers can make one change to their flight plans without being charged a fee. If the new fare is higher, they will need to pay the difference.
Most airlines retain the right to change their terms and conditions at any time.
Can I Get My Money Back if I Cancel My Flight?
If you cancel your flight within the first twenty-four hours of booking, you are guaranteed to get your money refunded even if it is a non-refundable ticket as long as it is at least a week before your scheduled flight. The United States Department of Transportation has a rule that allows anyone to be able to get their money back on any type of ticket within twenty-four hours of the original purchase.
If you bought a non-refundable ticket but purchased insurance in case you needed to cancel it, you should have no issues if you need to cancel your flight. You will have to show good reason, though. You should get all your money back unless the terms and conditions have rules and exclusions that are stated in advance that make you not qualify.
You will probably have specific documentation you will need to provide to get the refund covered by your insurance. It is essential to make sure you know what will be covered and what you will have to provide should you need to file a claim in advance.
Some people buy cancel-for-any-reason insurance. If you have that kind of insurance for your ticket, you should have no problems getting your money back if something happens and you cannot make your flight. You may have specific criteria to meet, though.
The coverage is usually good for only the first initial twenty-one days and may even be fewer days, so be sure to read your policy conditions. Some insurance may not cover the entire cost of your ticket either. It is always good to read the the terms and conditions.
Some credit cards have added protection if you purchase your ticket with them. You may want to check your credit card policy involving airline tickets purchased with them. Some will guarantee a refund if you have a good reason you can not travel.
World Nomads travelers Insurance will refund your flight if a medical doctor finds you or your spouse medically ill and unable to travel. World Nomads Insurance will cover the cost of your ticket if a familily member’s death results in you not making your flight. Other insurance travelers insurance has similar allowances.
Most airline companies will not give you a refund unless the previous scenarios are at play, and you will end up losing your money. However, American Airlines charges between $200 and $750 depending on the value of the ticket. If it is a domestic ticket your fee will be less. International tickets will cost a higher fee to change your flight if you do not want to lose all the money you spent on your ticket. They will make you pay any difference in the price if the new fare is more than the old fare was when you purchased it.
In some cases, you may be better off just losing the original ticket’s cost than paying the fee and the difference in fares. Southwest Airlines does not charge a change fee that most the other United States airlines do.
What Happens if I Don't Show Up for My Flight?
What happens if you do not show up for a flight depends on what kind of ticket you have and what airline you are flying. Most will give you credit for the value of the ticket unless you were flying basic economy. Then you will likely lose all your money if you do not show up for your flight.
You may also have to pay fees for not showing up, which can be as much as $200 depending on the airline. So if you had a $456 ticket and they make you pay a fee of $200, you will only get to keep $256 of the value of the original ticket.
However, if your ticket initially costs less than $200, you will not have any credit left after their fees. In that case, you would totally lose the total price of the ticket. If you have a portion of the ticket price left, you will have to take it as a credit for another flight within the next twelve months. Most airlines never give cash refunds back for no-shows.
What happens if you are a no-show can also depend on the reason you were a no-show. For instance, if you were in a wreck on the way to the airport, it is entirely possible the airline may work with you, especially if you have the documentation you can provide, like a police report.
Or if you were seriously ill, a note from an emergency room or a doctor may help plead your case, but it is always better to call and cancel or go online at least. Some airlines will let you cancel on a mobile app.
Airlines generally will try to accommodate you if you have a flat tire or similar situation on the way to the airport and will try to get you on another flight out if you arrive late. Many will waive any fees for these types of issues.
Do You Get Charged if You Miss a Flight?
How do I know if I will get charged if I miss the flight? For one, what kind of ticket did you purchase? Whether your ticket will be still valuable depends on many factors. If you have a full-fare ticket, most airlines will work with you. If possible, it is better to call and cancel, so they know you are missing your flight. They may even waive penalties if you have a good excuse that can be verified.
If you have a standard economy ticket, they will probably at least charge you a fee if you can cancel. If you are just a “no show,” the airline may not give you any credit for any ticket value you would have had if you had canceled instead. If you have a standard economy ticket with multiple stops when you are a “no show” on the first part of the trip, the rest are automatically canceled.
For basic economy, you will not get any value back from your ticket. You lost all the money you paid for your ticket. Basic economy tickets are usually bought at a much lower price, often weeks in advance. Because of the lower price, most of the time, it will be below the fee itself in value and automatically zero itself out.
Policies about “no shows” vary somewhat between airlines. For instance, earlier this year, Delta Airlines changed there “no show’ policies. Tickets canceled before the flight departs now are allowed to retain their value on all tickets except for basic economy. While customers that are “no show’ automatically lose the entire value of the ticket they purchased and all remaining parts of their itinerary are canceled.
Conclusion
It is always better when flying to cancel your flight than to be a “no show.” When you do not cancel, in most cases, you forfeit your ticket’s value unless it is a full-fare ticket. If you have more than one stop missing, the first flight cancels the rest of your flights on the ticket. You should also consider buying insurance if there is any inkling you might need to cancel your flight.
With an economy ticket, you will most likely have to pay a fee and any difference in ticket costs, but it will probably not be a complete loss. If you have a full-fare ticket, most airlines will give you full credit for your ticket. However, you will substain a total loss on basic economy whether you cancel or are a “no show.”