Where to return air tickets. How to get money back for an air ticket: rules and tips

For those who want to save money on their flights, airlines offer so-called non-refundable tickets. They are much cheaper than regular ones. However, if a passenger wants to return such a ticket, change the departure time, or reissue the ticket to another person, as a rule, he either will not be able to do this, or the seller will force him to pay double. But there are exceptions to every rule...

When purchasing a non-refundable ticket, a passenger must be sure that he will be able to use it. Otherwise, the trip will not take place, and the money will remain with the seller. But there are situations when the airline is obliged to return your money.

In what cases can a non-refundable ticket be returned?

For reference:

Until April 2014, any airline ticket could be returned 24 hours before departure and received a refund. Even if the passenger returned the ticket on the day of departure, the airline retained only 25% of the ticket price.

Changes in law (Air Code Russian Federation) allowed the conclusion of an air transportation agreement between the passenger and the carrier, which provides for the condition of non-refund of the carriage charge upon termination of this agreement at the initiative of the carrier (Article 107 of the RF CC) or the passenger (Article 108 of the RF CC).

A passenger can return a non-refundable ticket and receive money for it in the following cases:

illness of the passenger or illness of a member of his family, a close relative who is flying with the passenger;
death of a passenger's family member or close relative;
failure to fulfill or improper fulfillment by the airline of its obligations under the passenger air carriage agreement.

However, in order to return a “non-refundable” ticket on the above grounds, these grounds must be documented: medical document (certificate), telegram, etc.

Everything is according to the law

According to paragraph 2 of Art. 108 of the Air Code of the Russian Federation, the passenger is always refunded the carriage fee paid for air transportation, if we are talking about cases of “forced refusal of a passenger from air transportation due to the illness of the passenger or a member of his family or a close relative traveling with him on the flight.” aircraft, which is confirmed medical documents, or in connection with the death of a member of his family or a close relative, which is documented.

According to paragraph 3 of Art. 108 of the Air Code of the Russian Federation - family members are spouses, parents and children (adoptive parents and adopted children), and close relatives - grandparents and grandchildren, full and half brothers and sisters.

Important! When purchasing a ticket on a foreign airline, sometimes it is impossible to refuse a non-refundable ticket and receive money due to illness. In Europe, it is customary to insure your life and health. The money for a canceled flight will be returned to a European passenger in case of illness by his insurance company.

How to proceed to get your money back?

For reference:

The requirement for a refund of the carriage charge is made in the manner established by the rules of the carrier, and the contract for the air carriage of passengers, the contract for the air carriage of cargo, in accordance with Art. 234 Order of the Ministry of Transport of Russia dated June 28, 2007 N 82 “On approval of the Federal Aviation Rules “General Rules” air transport passengers, baggage, cargo and requirements for servicing passengers, shippers, consignees."

Before your flight departs, please notify the carrier that your flight cannot be completed. Send a notification letter by email. Or call " hotline» and report.
Collect evidence.
Record the fact of illness in a medical institution - see a doctor and get a certificate. Preferably with the signature of the head physician of the medical institution. If illness (death) overtook a relative who was supposed to fly with you, similar documents must be made for him.
Write a message to the airline. Explain the situation, demand a refund based on certain circumstances. Attach a certificate and photocopies of air tickets.
The airline's policies usually indicate how long they take to process refund requests (for example, up to 30 days). If there is no deadline in the rules, write that you expect a response within 10-14 days.
Send your appeal by mail, by registered mail with a list of attachments and acknowledgment of receipt. This is necessary so that you don’t have to file a claim in the future.
If you submit your application in person, submit two copies. Request that your copy be stamped for incoming correspondence.
If your appeal remains unanswered and your money is not returned, file a lawsuit.

Important! If you purchased non-refundable tickets as part of a tour, ask the travel agency to return both the money for the air tickets and the cost of the tour package that includes them.

Deadlines for filing notifications and appeals

How do you understand that the tariff is non-refundable?

For reference:

Air ticket price = fare + fees and taxes.

1) Tariff— this is the cost of the flight set by the airline. The cost of the flight depends on the length of the route, booking class and season.

2) Fees and taxes. Dachshunds are airport taxes for aircraft ground servicing - fuel, insurance and service. Has the price of fuel changed? Consequently, the price of the air ticket has also changed.

A description of the tariffs is in the rules posted on the seller’s website. Fare information is usually provided in English.

Collocation "Ticket is non-refundable" says the rate is non-refundable. That is, a passenger’s cancellation of a trip or failure to show up for boarding without a valid reason are not grounds for returning a ticket.

When purchasing, pay attention to the possibility of canceling or rescheduling a flight - sellers of non-refundable tickets often establish rules according to which, in order to change the time, date of departure or name on the ticket, you need to pay an additional fee comparable in cost to the price of air travel.

The following phrases may also appear in the rules:

Changes not permitted - the ticket cannot be exchanged
Changes any time charge eur 100.00— the ticket can be exchanged for an additional fee, for example for 100 euros (the amount depends on the airline).
Name change not permitted— you cannot change the name indicated on the ticket.
Were fare is non-refundable any time in this case YQ/YR surcharges are also non-refundable.— Taxes (YQ/YR) cannot be returned if the ticket fare is non-refundable.

For Russian airlines, these tariffs are usually indicated by words like “Economy”, “Standard”, “Basic”, “Promo”.
Sometimes non-refundable tickets are sold during promotions airlines.

If you are not sure that you will be able to use a non-refundable ticket, it is better to buy a regular ticket that can be returned.

Attention! You can return some of the money even without a good reason.

To save money, many travelers and tourists buy air tickets in advance. How can I get my money back for an air ticket if the circumstances of my trip have changed and the air ticket purchased at a low price during the promotion period or several months in advance is no longer needed?

All travelers and tourists have the absolute right to receive money for an unused air ticket.

Air tickets are often searched through metasearch engines, for example, Skyscanner, Aviasales, which in turn redirect the visitor to the website of the agency that offers the cheapest air tickets to the desired destination. Many people buy a plane ticket and sometimes do not know that search engines themselves do not sell plane tickets. Then a long search begins for the agency that actually sold them the tickets.

The most important thing that a passenger needs to know is that any air ticket can be returned within the current day without any fines from the airlines. It is called air ticket voiding.

If you suddenly discover that you made a mistake with the departure date or your information on the air ticket is incorrect (last name, passport number, etc.), immediately contact the agency or airline that sold you the ticket and return it.

According to voiding there is the following restrictions: 1) if there are less than 24 hours left before departure, then you can return the ticket without penalties within half an hour after purchase .When voiding an air ticket during the day, speech It’s about the current day. 2) if you purchased an air ticket at night before five minutes to twelve, then midnight expires the time during which you can return it.

As a rule, most agencies selling air tickets do not particularly advertise this possibility of a refund, but the passenger should be aware of it. To be fair, it is worth noting that possibility of logging into Not all airlines have a 24-hour period; some limit it in any case to only half an hour, but there are very few such airlines.

THE AIRLINE MAY TAKE A LONG TIME TO TAKE A DECISION ON REFUND

In accordance with the Air Code of the Russian Federation, the main document regulating the activities civil aviation, there are no non-refundable air tickets. Even those air tickets that a passenger bought at a good discount can be returned to the carrier (there are precedents in which passengers won lawsuits against airlines).

GROUNDS FOR REFUNDING AN AIR TICKET

1.Article 108 of the Air Code of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as the RF Air Code) establishes the right of an aircraft passenger to refuse a flight withnotifying the carrier about this no later than twenty-four hours before departure of the aircraft, if the air transportation rules established by the carrier do not specify a grace period, and receive back the amount paid for air transportation.

If you cancel your flight later than the scheduled time, the passagesp has the right to receive back the amount paid for air transportation with the withholding of a fee, the amount of which cannot exceed twenty-five percent of the amount paid for air transportation.

2. Article 100 “Rules for the formation and application of tariffs for regular air transportation of passengers and baggage, collection of fees in the field of civil aviation” regulates the implementation of a fee for a passenger’s refusal to fly, established by the carrier in the amount of no more than 25 percent of the amount paid by the passenger for transportation, if the transportation was not performed on any section, and if the transportation was partially performed, in the amount of no more than 25 percent of the amount paid for the uncompleted part of the transportation.

3. To airlines, subject to availability own rules air transportation (in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 102 of the Air Code of the Russian Federation), including the rules for the sale of transportation,provide access to such rules in airline offices, sales offices, and by posting them on airline websites. a) Provide carriers (sales agents - if such information is provided) with access to information:

— about all tariffs applied by the airline on a specific route, and the conditions for their application. Information must be provided in Russian and, if used, special terms and codes contain the necessary explanations;

— about all types of additional fees and taxes applied by the carrier, as well as the procedure and legality of their establishment;

— on the procedure for refunding in case of refusal of transportation or change in transportation conditions.

b) Eliminate the practice of selling tickets at non-refundable rates in the event of a passenger’s voluntary refusal to travel.

IMPORTANT: in your appeal to the airline or to the court, you must be guided primarily by federal regulations, that is, the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Air Code of the Russian Federation, the Law “On Protection of Consumer Rights”, etc. (for residents of Ukraine - the relevant legislative documents), and then refer to the airline’s “Internal Rules of Transportation.”

WHERE TO GO FOR A REFUND OF AIR TICKETS

The internal rules of the airline carrier contain a list of places where air tickets are refunded. You can find them on the airline’s website on the Internet. You can also call the air carrier’s help desk, where they will tell you the necessary addresses and telephone numbers.

It should also be remembered that the procedure for returning tickets established by the company in any case should not contradict the general rules of air transportation. And these rules stipulate that a refund if you cancel a trip can be made “at the ticket office of the airline itself, with agents authorized by the company to sale of tickets, and also at points provided for by the airline's rules. «

Another important point: There are various directives from the Ministry of Transport that partially contradict the Air Code. Lawyers say that in controversial cases, the court will be guided by the Air Code, and not by industry rules.

SEQUENCE OF ACTIONS FOR REFUNDING AN AIRLINE TICKET

1. You need to find the coordinates of the company where you bought your ticket. For example, if you purchased an airline ticket on a booking website or travel agency, then you need to contact there, and not the airline whose plane you are going to fly.

2. Check what rules for exchanging air tickets exist in the company where you bought them. This information can be attached to the file with your electronic air ticket, and it is also often posted on the company’s website.

3. You should also contact the company where you bought the air tickets: you can visit the company’s office in person or call. Be prepared to give not only your name, but also your passport information to confirm your identity, and also prepare the air ticket itself. It has a unique number that will need to be reported to a company employee.

If the air ticket was purchased at an agency,you need to write an application to this agency (letter by email), in which you inform him about the cancellation of the flight, with a request to return the money to the bank card at based on Article 108 of the RF CC (you can quote the provisions that apply to your case). This will be quite enough.

If the agency is Russian or Ukrainian, It is advisable to duplicate the same application by sending it by mail with acknowledgment of delivery to the addressee, or take it to the office and put a receipt stamp on the copy. Such a paper document may be needed if the case goes to court. But if the agent is foreign, then it will cost more to get him out of Ukraine or Russia with lawsuits. The main thing here is to record the moment of notifying the agency about your refusal to fly.

4.It should be noted that what if you purchased inexpensive air tickets, most likely you will not be able to get the full amount back amount .Most airlines will charge you some fee for canceling your flight. If you decide to cancel your flight in less than three days, be prepared for the fact that the amount of such a fine may be about half the cost of the air ticket. Once you agree on the amount, find out how you can get the money back. The money can be given to you in cash or transferred to your bank account. In the latter case, do not forget to provide the company employee with your bank details.

5. If you receive a refusal from an agent, contact the air carrier. It is best for the refusal to be in the form of a written paper document, but an e-mail letter is also suitable.

6. It is also necessary to write a similar statement to the air carrier by e-mail (for example, to the air ticket reservation center). A similar letter should be sent by mail to one of the Ukrainian or Russian representative offices (if the carrier is foreign airline(indicate where or where you were going to fly).

It is necessary to attach a copy of the agent’s refusal/response regarding the “change of direction” to the air carrier, and reference to this should be made in the text of the application.Important: the letter to the airline (to any of its representatives) must be received no less than 24 hours before the first flight.A paper version of the letter may be needed in case of litigation or a complaint to the Federal Air Transport Agency.

7. What should you do if you receive an answer by e-mail: the fare is non-refundable (alternatively, in subsequent correspondence you may be offered some kind of flight voucher with a limited validity period)?

You can write to them several times: “Dear sirs, do not violate my rights and please comply with the law.” Or, for example, for the 2nd time you can write “If you, Mr. (Mrs.) ... (last name) are not authorized to return the debt to me for the returned ticket, please contact the management to make the appropriate decision ..." And so on, and so on... I repeat, all this can repeat repeatedly.

At some stage they should back off and give you the full amount back. Take your time and don’t get excited - write to the airline representative the next day after receiving a response. Of course, this whole procedure of exchanging letters can sometimes take several weeks..

If there is no result, then the easiest way is to actually send a complaint to the Federal Air Transport Agency by mail against the air carrier, attaching all the complaint correspondence to it. Of course, you will have to wait until the bureaucratic machine works. And it will really work 95%, and at no cost to you.

Finally, the most unpleasant thing in this situation is a lawsuit! Any lawyer guarantees you 100% results. A claim can be brought against both the airline itself and the agent who sold you the ticket. .You can get back twice the cost of your air ticket if you base your claim on the Consumer Protection Act. In short, it looks like this: according towith the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights, the court may charge the debtor a penalty (at the request of the plaintiff) in the amount of 0.5% of the amount of the debt for each day of delay in execution from the moment of receipt of the demand for the return of money to the plaintiff.

But as a rule, The court limits the amount of penalties collected to the amount of the principal debt. Also, one should not forget to indicate in the claim the requirement that the debtor pay the court fee and the costs of the plaintiff (passenger/consumer) for the services of a lawyer - such claims are satisfied by the courts almost “automatically”.

WHERE TO FILE A COMPLAINT

If all negotiations and written complaints do not help, file a complaint with the Federal Air Transport Agency. You can even file a complaint electronically through the official website of the Federal Air Transport Agency (e-mail: [email protected]).

In addition, you can get help from the Russian Consumer Union, as well as from Rospotrebnadzor.

You can get advice on protecting your rights at Union of Consumers of Russia

When resolving disputes, you can contact Rospotrebnadzor

If the airline goes bankrupt, then everything is much more complicated. You can sue the airline and even win the case, but there are no guarantees that you will get your money back. There is no insurance for such a case.

You may be interested in Articles of the Air Code No. 100,107, 108,137. Article 107 talks about the carrier’s refusal, and Article 137 talks about the procedure for applying the Air Code.

FOR RESIDENTS OF UKRAINE What does Ukrainian legislation say about this?

Air Code of Ukraine Article 65. Termination of an agreement for air transportation at the initiative of a passenger. The passenger has the right to refuse air transportation and receive a refund of the amount of money in the manner established by the legislation of Ukraine.

Article 62. Compliance with air transportation rules and quality standards
When performing air transportation, the carrier and the airport are required to comply with the general rules for air transportation of passengers, baggage, cargo and mail, as well as the standards for the quality of service for passengers and clients established by the relevant government executive body.
Air carrier based general rules has the right to establish its own rules for air transportation, which are aimed at increasing the efficiency and quality of transportation and do not contain conditions and standards for servicing passengers and clientele with lower level of requirements, established by the relevant state executive body. The conditions and rules for the transportation of mail are agreed upon with the Ministry of Communications of Ukraine.

We tell you the return rules. Will come in handy in the summer.

As you know, anything can happen in life. Let's say: I bought a plane ticket, planned my desired trip, and then one day I ended up in the hospital. You lie there and think that it was not only the trip that “cried”, but also the money spent on it.

It's time to try refund the money for the ticket. It's real. Experts from the trusted service Aviakassa helped us understand the issue.

Important: Each air carrier has its own nuances regarding ticket refunds. Let’s immediately make a reservation that before purchasing you must familiarize yourself with the rules for applying the tariff. It describes how, in what amount and within what time frame you can receive money for an unused ticket.

So, how to return a ticket? First you need to decide which fare the ticket belongs to - refundable or non-refundable.

Non-refundable tickets - what kind of beast is this?

Such air tickets do not imply change or exchange. On company websites they are often marked with the words “Promo”, “Discount”, “Budget”, “Tourist”. In practice, such tickets have actually become synonymous with the cheapest ones from the air carrier.

By the way, despite the name, there are no completely non-refundable tickets in Russia.

With return tickets everything is simple. There is an unwritten law here: how more expensive ticket and the earlier it was returned, the lower the penalty upon return. If you cancel your ticket in advance (a day or more), you can generally get almost its full cost.

In other cases, the law provides for the withholding of 25% of the original amount. Don’t forget that the carrier’s internal rules can also make their own adjustments.

What about non-refundable tickets?

In case of forced cancellation of the flight, the money must be returned in full. The valid reasons for this are:

Illness of the passenger and/or close relative accompanying him on the trip

Death of a passenger and/or family member
To return a ticket due to this tragic circumstance, it is necessary to provide a death certificate and documents confirming relationship. Again, this must be done more than a day before departure.
Refusal of a visa
Not recognized as a valid reason by all air carriers. Therefore, it is worth finding out in advance whether a passport refusal stamp is sufficient grounds for a particular company.
Flight delay or cancellation/emergency/force majeure at the air carrier
If the flight did not take place due to the fault of the airline, then you can count on a full refund. To do this, you need to get a stamped stamp on your ticket about the canceled flight from an airline representative.

What if I missed my flight?

Part of the costs can be returned, even when you were unable to use the ticket due to your own carelessness or subjective circumstances.

The fact is that the cost of a ticket consists of “taxes and fees” and the fare itself. As a penalty, the company can only withhold the transportation tariff. But there are also exceptions. Therefore, we once again urge you to read the rules carefully.

On a note

Many Russian airlines provide the opportunity to make changes to the ticket - for example, adjust the departure date. True, for a fee. Sometimes it can become the best way out from the situation.

An approximate algorithm of actions when returning a ticket

1. Find contacts of the airline or intermediary through whom you were ticket purchased, and ask for clarification of the procedure and conditions for return. And follow the instructions received.

2. Write an application according to the established template, attach a scan of your passport, ticket and supporting documents (if the refusal is forced) and send it to the company or intermediary, fortunately modern technologies allow you to do this by e-mail.

Important: It is necessary to notify about cancellation of the flight at least one day before departure.

3. If the agent refuses to refund the cost of the ticket, you need to contact the air carrier directly.

4. If the airline refuses to refund the money and ignores your rights prescribed in the Air Code of the Russian Federation, you can safely write a complaint to the Federal Air Transport Agency, attaching all correspondence. And be patient, because... Such issues are not quickly addressed.

5. If all the actions taken are unsuccessful, the last resort remains - legal action.

But let's not talk about the bad. We’d better go and relax for the last time this summer. Ticket prices are:

– Moscow-Dubai only from 7227 rubles

– Moscow-Tel Aviv for some 7227 rubles

website We tell you the return rules. Will come in handy in the summer. As you know, anything can happen in life. Let's say: I bought a plane ticket, planned my desired trip, and then one day I ended up in the hospital. You lie there and think that it was not only the trip that “cried”, but also the money spent on it. It's time to try to get your money back for your ticket. It's real. Experts helped us understand the issue...

The refund method depends on the type of air ticket. How long does it take to return a plane ticket? For which air ticket you will get your money back, and for which one not – read our article.

Type of air tickets

Air tickets purchased through the ticket office at the airport.
Air tickets purchased online.

In this article we will look at the method of returning the second type of air tickets

Reasons for return

A passenger is late for a flight for no reason.
A passenger is late for a flight due to an accident.
Exchange of ticket for another date.
Canceling the trip altogether.
Flight cancellation or rescheduling.

Which airline tickets cannot be returned?

Most air tickets purchased through the site can be returned in the same way as regular tickets purchased at the box office. However:

Tickets marked “Non Ref” cannot be returned. “Non Ref” means “irrevocable”. Tickets with this mark are considered the most affordable, sell out in a matter of hours and cannot be returned or exchanged.
Tickets purchased through a promotion, discount system or sale (can be exchanged for a ticket on a different date).

How to return an air ticket purchased online?

Depends:

How much time is left before the flight starts. The sooner you decide to return your ticket, the less problems this procedure will bring.
From the airline from which it was purchased. Each carrier has its own conditions for returning an unused air ticket.
From the ticket price. According to statistics, business class air tickets are returned more easily and with fewer “losses” than economy class tickets.

How long before a refund can be made?

If you return your ticket 24 hours (or more) in advance, you will be refunded the full cost of the ticket. The passenger is charged a fee. Some airlines add penalties to the return procedure.
If the ticket is returned in less than 24 hours, the passenger will be offered a refund of seventy-five percent of the ticket price paid + commission and, depending on the company, penalties.
If the ticket is returned 4 hours before boarding the plane, the passenger receives a refund of seventy-five percent of the cost of the ticket + commission + penalties.
If you try to return a ticket less than 4 hours before boarding or after the start of the flight, the cost of the return will be reduced, and the amount of penalties may be increased several times.

Warning

Keep in mind! Sometimes it is easier to pay penalties and reissue an air ticket for another calendar day than to return the ticket and purchase a new one yourself.

Where and how can I make a return?

Flight number. You can return an electronic ticket either at the airport ticket office, just like a regular ticket purchased in another way, or on the website where you issued the electronic ticket. To return you will need the following information:

Number of the purchased ticket.
Reservation number.
Departure time.
Calendar day of departure.

Access to the above data is available to you in an email to the mail you provided when booking. If you are returning an air ticket through the airport ticket office, then in order not to search for all the data yourself, you can print out the letter you received from the airline and simply show it at the ticket office. There they will help you figure out what and where to include in the application.

If you issue a return through the website, the procedure is as follows:

On the website where you purchased your ticket, find the refund section.
In this section, you fill out an electronic application in which you enter all the data about the purchased air ticket (listed in the previous section of the article) and attach a photo or scanned copy of your passport with the data entered on the ticket.
If you are returning a purchased e-ticket through the airport ticket office, the return procedure is similar to electronic.
If you want to issue a refund for an air ticket purchased from a travel agency, the refund procedure will be similar to the previous two.

How long will it take for the passenger to receive the money?

The period for refunding money for an unused air ticket depends on when you applied for a refund, how you paid for it and the method of purchasing it (airport, travel agency, Internet). On average, the return period is from ten days to three months.

Ticket refunds can occur:

Cash at the cash register.
To a bank card.
To an electronic account.

How to speed up the refund process?

If you paid for your ticket using bank card, That:

When requesting a ticket refund, please provide the passenger’s personal information (full name)
Bank name and current account number.
Bank identification code.
Correspondent account.

Information

If you are filing a refund by proxy, but in the application indicate the personal information of the person for whom the ticket was purchased, as well as the information on the card of his bank and account.

If you paid for the ticket via an electronic wallet, then in the application you must indicate:

Full name of the passenger for whom the ticket was purchased.
Electronic account number.
Type of this account (webmoney, Yandex.money, qiwi, etc.)

Is it possible to exchange a returned air ticket for another departure date?

It depends only on the airline from which the ticket was purchased. If an exchange is possible, the passenger will have to pay penalties.

There are usually no penalties when exchanging a business class air ticket.