Refund on airfare from United

[tygertygertyger]

I had three trips planned between May and July - all with different airlines. For the first trip, I was just relieved that American was willing to give me a credit. I made no additional arguments.

Today though, armed with information that I think I found here on MMM about airlines rescheduling flights, and offering a refund if the flight change outside a certain number of hours from your original schedule, I went ahead and called United.

She first said that my ticket was the lowest / cheapest range that didn't qualify for a refund, but I could get a credit due to covid, etc. I said the new return flight would land me at home 7.5 hours after my original flight time would. She said that my departure time was 5.5 hours after the original flight, and since it wasn't over six hours, I wouldn't get a refund.

I said again that I would be landing back at home 7.5 hours after my original flight would have landed.... success! She talked to a supervisor who approved the refund. I am very glad to hang out such smarties so I don't have to use up all these flight credits in a limited time period.

Next up, I have to cancel Iceland Air and hope for a refund... If anyone has tips, please let me know!

[clarkfan1979]

Pretty much the same thing happened to me on United. They cancelled my flight, put me on a different flight and said I didn't qualify for a refund because I paid the economy fare. After two phone calls and 45 minutes on hold total, I got my verbal confirmation of my refund. I had to wait 23 days to get the actual refund.

Original Direct Flight ($379)
Depart: Lihue, HI (7:25 p.m.)
Land: Denver, CO (6:12 a.m)
Total travel time: 6 hours and 47 minutes

Modified Flight (now with connection)
Depart: Lihue, HI (10:11 p.m.)
Land: San Francisco, CA (6:18 p.m.)

Lay-over (4 hours and 28 minutes)

Depart: San Francisco, CA (10:46 a.m.)
Land: Denver, CO (2:28 p.m.)

Total Travel Time: 12 hours and 17 minutes

The new flight was scheduled to land 8 hours and 16 minutes later than my original flight, so maybe that is why I eventually qualified for a refund. However, I was more concerned with the fact that it was originally a direct flight and was changed to a connection with a 4.5 hour lay-over. I could have paid $179 for a flight with a 2.5 hour lay-over in San Jose, CA on Southwest. Why would I pay an extra $200 for a shittier flight? 

[tygertygertyger]

Yep, my new flight also included a layover, as opposed to my original direct flight. Good to know about the long delay on the refund.

[Jack0Life]

Airlines try to sucker people who are not informed.
Spirit canceled my flight and automatically gave me credit.
Armed with infos, I called and was ready for a fight. Nope, they knew the rules and gave me a refund with little hassle.