For frequent flyers, the fact that airline fares are different will not be news. Modern electronic tickets can be sold at different prices for the same direction, and their cost depends on many factors. Non-refundable tickets are usually tickets at the lowest fare. Most passengers tend to purchase tickets at the lowest prices, and in this case, you need to pay attention to the rules for applying fares and the conditions for selling tickets.
What is the price of the ticket
All airlines have their own pricing policy. The ticket price includes not only airline profits, but also various fees: airport, fuel, agent fees and many others.
The fare itself may be low, but additional fees and charges make the price of air travel much higher. At different times, you can buy a ticket for the same company for the same destination for different amounts: for example, long before departure, a flight is relatively inexpensive, on the eve it is more expensive. Thus, airlines encourage passengers to purchase tickets in advance. In addition to the division into classes - first class, business, economy, etc., there are gradations within the same class. For example, an economy can also be divided into 3-4 tariffs, each of which has its own application rules. Non-return tickets are found at most airlines and are in demand by many passengers. Many buyers think that the price depends on the agency in which the ticket is purchased. This is only partly true: the fact is that while a passenger is looking for a ticket “cheaper”, time is running out, tickets are being bought up by other passengers, and as a result only the most expensive ones remain, and the client regrets that he did not purchase a ticket immediately for the first offered price. This is a fairly common situation, especially when there is not much time left before the plane takes off, sometimes even the hours, but the minutes, play the role. The international airline reservation systems in which the sale is made offer all available seats on the flight at the same time at all ticket offices, and the tickets are sold in real time.
Tariff Rules
Each tariff has application rules - they are available in all reservation systems and are presented in English. These rules stipulate how you can return a ticket or exchange it by changing the departure date. All actions with the purchased ticket are performed only in accordance with the rules for applying a specific fare. They are set by the carrier itself and are strictly observed by all agents selling flight tickets.
Non-refundable tickets - this is most often the cheapest tickets that cannot be returned if the passenger refuses the flight - this information is necessarily spelled out in the rules of use. When buying such tickets, the passenger is obliged to warn that tickets cannot be returned, at some points of sale and at the air ticket office they even take a passenger’s signature saying that he is familiar with and agrees with the rules.
What is non-refundable flights
All airlines strive to maximize the number of their passengers. Air travel is not the cheapest type of travel, and in connection with this circumstance, airlines are trying to offer passengers cheap flights. For this, non-refundable fares are developed - tickets at the lowest cost. And so that the company does not suffer losses, these tickets become irrevocable.
If a passenger bought the cheapest ticket, he cannot refuse to travel or lose the money spent on buying a ticket. Often a combined fare is applied - a combination of a non-refundable and refundable tariff in one ticket, thus, the rules of a non-refundable tariff apply not to one segment, but to the entire flight.
Refundable tickets
Unfortunately, situations often arise when a passenger purchases tickets in advance, and then, some time before departure, his plans change, and he is forced to abandon the flight. Then the passenger is interested in the question of how to return non-returnable tickets, and can this be done? If the rules for applying the fare when buying a specific ticket indicated that the ticket is non-refundable, then most likely it will not be possible to return it. Some time ago, all Russian airlines canceled non-refundable tariffs, as this is contrary to consumer rights. There is the Air Code of the Russian Federation, in which there is article 108, and it states that a passenger has the right to refund money for a ticket if he or she refuses to fly earlier than 24 hours before departure. And even if before departure less than a day, you can return at least 75% of the ticket price. In practice, in order to return a non-refundable ticket, you can go to court by filing a lawsuit against the airline, then after the trial, you may be able to return the money.
However, this does not apply to foreign airlines - they set their own rules in accordance with their state laws, and are not subject to Russian codes.
In which cases a refund is provided
Almost all airlines have a number of cases in which it is possible to return non-refundable tickets. For example, if there is a medical certificate stating that the passenger’s state of health does not allow him to fly, in case of the passenger’s death or the death of his immediate family. Even if non-returnable tickets are purchased by the passenger, the law will still allow you to return the money spent on its purchase. You should be aware that these procedures will take some time, especially if the case takes a judicial turn.
It is also worth keeping in mind that if tickets were bought at an agency, it is easier to contact the airline’s representative directly, as agents also cannot go against the rules of the carrier and return money to the passenger without the permission of the company.