Making passengers pay for advance booking ticket validity rules is not fair.
Airline rules appear to be returning to a new normal after the pandemic years. While ticket validity extensions may be ending, the end-of-change-fees — at least for now — are staying. The ticket validity issue, however, now appears to have changed permanently for many airlines. This is not a good way … especially for passengers who use advance booking ticket validity rules.
It seems unfair that while airlines advertise their “no-change” fee tickets, a hard and fast “one-year policy” means many travelers may end up with tickets they can’t realistically use.
As any travel agent knows, some people think a few months or weeks before travel to use ticket validity rules. But airline tickets can be booked 330 days before take-off. Plus, some travelers like to book for holidays or special events as soon as flights become available. Other passengers book in advance just for peace of mind,
Now, it’s one thing to miss potential last-minute sales. But the bigger problem is ticket validity — usually one year from the issue date. But “one year from date of issue” is an inexact science, which unfortunately works against travelers in many cases.
Airlines often have conflicting rules that work against travelers.
American Airlines for years has said that travel must be started within a year of the ticketing date. But United Airlines, for example, used to say that the “ticket needs to be reissued within a year.” So if someone booked a trip on July 31, 2023, for June 2024 and had to cancel at the last minute, they would have to reissue by the end of July 2024 and could travel until June 2025. At this point, the ticket could be reissued if need be.
Now, however, United Airlines has gone with the more restrictive rule. So a last-minute cancellation for a ticket booked 11 months out means the ticket is valueless.
And while booking summer almost a year out is unusual, it’s not uncommon, especially with families trying to work with school calendars. In my many experiences, people book Thanksgiving and Christmas travel early in the year. Waiting until a few months out is often too late. So again, a late cancellation means a tiny window for a rescheduled trip.
Delta Air Lines has a more generous policy.
Delta Air Lines has had one of the more generous policies over the last few years. Tickets issued between 2020-2022 need to be reissued by December 2023, but travel can be in 2024. And as of the time of writing in 2023, Delta is sticking with the more generous policy of tickets to be reissued within a year for international travel (which means travel can be up to 11 months after that), but domestic travel must be completed within a year of original ticketing.
And as I write, I’m fully aware this all can change. And is likely to do so.
Travel insurance can help with ticket validity, but there are purchase rules to follow.
A critically important question for anyone planning to travel well into 2024 is to find out the rules before you lock in tickets. Travel insurance, of course, can help with these situations, but often it must be purchased within 24 hours of buying nonrefundable tickets.
Since airlines understandably want to make a profit, one solution might be to allow a ticket validity extension for a fee.
In many ways, early bookers are some of the airlines’ best customers — they give carriers their money well in advance, and generally with nonrefundable tickets. And it’s not just health issues that can derail a trip. In my experience, family travel can be upended last minute with sports teams and other school issues. etc.
In any case, it seems unfair that while airlines advertise their “no-change” fee tickets, a hard and fast “one-year policy” means many travelers may end up with tickets they can’t realistically use.
It seems like it’s time for this policy to change.
READ ALSO:
A dozen rules to help with selfish airplane seat-swapping
Do passengers really want on-time flights or flight availability?
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
