There are times when travelers would almost kill for a refund from an airline. But there are other times when the best answer is “Don’t take that refund!”
Once the airline refunds your money, it can wash its hands of you. And that may mean you have to buy a new ticket at double or triple the price or you have no options for getting to your destination at all. When the s**t hits the fan, the basic rule is to stick with your airline ticket.
For instance, there was the American Airlines meltdown a couple of months ago, when the company canceled thousands of flights because it hadn’t inspected MD-80s to the FAA’s satisfaction.
The line at American’s ticket counter in San Diego snaked across the lobby. I had to get to Des Moines for a speaking engagement. Dozens of people with no flight to board stood waiting (surprisingly patiently) to talk to a counter rep. And those counter reps, in turn, were almost uniformly, and immediately without hesitation, offering refunds.
Take the refund?
Not me. And it didn’t make sense for many other people, either. Not unless it was a leisure flight and you’d just as soon skip the trip entirely. Or if you want to make alternative arrangements yourself — to heck with the expense.
Once you take the refund, the next step is yours. You’ll probably have to pay more to get where you’re going, a lot more. And when seats are tough or impossible to find, as they were when American was canceling so many flights, good luck finding a reasonable price or time frame.
Plus, American was offering compensation and reimbursements for costs of overnight accommodations.
If you turn down the refund, the next step is theirs. They have to rebook you on other flights, even if those flights cost American more money than you paid. And they’re responsible for making the arrangements (which are tough to come by in a case like that) and handling the payment.
So lots of times, it makes sense to take your money back if you can get it. But before you do, think long and hard about what happens next and how you’ll get to your destination.
