How to get money back for a non-refundable airline ticket coronavirus?

Is it possible to return a ticket?

The general rules for the cancellation of air tickets are established by Article 108 of the Air Code of the Russian Federation “Termination, at the initiative of a passenger, of an agreement for the air carriage of a passenger” and the Federal Aviation Rules “General rules for air transportation of passengers, baggage, cargo and requirements for servicing passengers, shippers, consignees” approved by the Order of the Ministry of Transport of Russia dated 06/28/2007 No. 82 (FAP).

The passenger has the right to refuse air transportation and receive the money paid to the air carrier, depending on the circumstances that forced him to cancel the trip, the terms of sale of the travel document and the timing of the flight cancellation.

It is important to understand that the rules for refunding air tickets, enshrined in Russian legislation , do not apply to foreign airlines. Also, the validity of these rules may be limited outside the Russian Federation and for some domestic air carriers.

Purchased online

The law does not establish any difference in the rules for canceling travel documents purchased online and purchased at ticket offices. Moreover, it does not matter where exactly the air tickets were purchased - on the airline’s website or from online ticket agents.

Samples of claims for refunds

It is considered that a written claim for the return of funds is a notification to the debtor of the need to pay debts to creditors.

The document is drawn up in writing only if verbal requests for a refund do not lead to the desired effect.

This form of claim is used not only for business activities, but also in the everyday life of people entering into debt relationships.

How to file a claim for a refund When filling out a claim, adhere to the following rules:

Return types

Airlines, in pursuit of the goal of filling the plane with passengers as much as possible, set different air ticket fares for the same flight. Even tickets of the same class can differ significantly in price .

The fact is that the airline makes significant discounts on flights, while tightening the conditions for canceling air tickets in case of cancellation of the flight. Thus, air tickets are usually divided into refundable and non-refundable.

However, even if you have returnable travel documents, the refund amount is significantly influenced by the circumstances of the flight cancellation and the timing of the ticket return. Paragraph 227 of the FAP specifies valid reasons for refusing a flight, and refusal for these reasons is considered forced. In all other circumstances, refusal to travel will be considered voluntary.

Voluntary refusal

The most common reasons for voluntary refusal to travel are:

1. changing personal plans or rescheduling a business trip;
2. an error in the travel date or passenger data (especially when purchasing tickets independently via the Internet);
3. passenger being late for check-in;
4. removal of a passenger from a flight by airport services;
5. lack of documents required for the flight (for example, travel permission for a child).

The Air Code of the Russian Federation establishes deadlines for refusing flights for passengers applying for a refund of the air ticket amount:

• 24 hours before check-in for the flight, the carriage charge is refunded minus the carrier's expenses;
• less than 24 hours before check-in for a flight - carriage charge minus carrier expenses and a penalty in the amount of 25 percent of the ticket price;
• after check-in time for the flight , the cost of the travel document is not refundable.

Airlines have the right to reduce the amount of the penalty for canceling a flight.

Let's consider how much a passenger loses when voluntarily returning an air ticket. The amount for air tickets in case of voluntary cancellation of a flight depends on the category of the travel document: the lower its category, the less amount will be returned to the passenger.

• First class and business class air tickets are paid at full fares and in case of their return, the passenger is usually refunded the entire amount of the ticket excluding the service fee.
• Economy class (“Y”) tickets are subject to special fares and are refunded by airlines on a general basis, collecting the full amount of the air carrier’s expenses and the amount of the penalty.

Compelled

However, if the ticket was forced to be refunded, the passenger will be refunded the full cost of the ticket. The following cases are considered forced return:

1. significant flight delay or cancellation;
2. changes by the carrier to the route;
3. the carrier's failure to provide flight connections;
4. being late for a flight due to a lengthy inspection during which prohibited substances and items were not detected;
5. illness of the passenger or his relative (family member) traveling with him;
6. death of a close relative or member of his family;
7. incorrect ticket issuance by the air carrier or its agent.

A refund of the full cost of a ticket due to personal forced circumstances (illness or death of a relative) is possible only if you cancel the trip before the end of check-in for the flight.

Within the framework of the rules for canceling travel documents, family members are considered parents, spouses, children, and close relatives are considered to be grandparents, grandchildren, brothers and sisters, both full and half-blooded. The airline has the right to expand the established list of cases of cancellation of travel documents due to forced circumstances.

Possibility and grounds for a refund for an air ticket

In accordance with the law on air travel in force in our country, each passenger has the right to receive back the money previously paid for a ticket if he complies with the following mandatory conditions:

• Claim for refund for air tickets - sample guarantees a 100% refund to all passengers on domestic flights if this is announced to an airline representative no later than 24 hours before the start of the flight.
• If notification of a refund was made less than 24 hours before departure, the company has the right to impose penalties on the return of the air ticket in accordance with the carrier’s internal policy, but not more than 25% of the previously paid amount.
• If the flight was canceled due to the fault of the airline, it is obliged to fully compensate the cost of the flight, including all service fees, regardless of the time of refusal to provide the transport service.
• In the event that a passenger purchased a ticket at a special, non-refundable fare, which was notified in advance, a refund for the ticket is possible only if the flight did not take place due to the fault of the carrier.

Important!

All actions to return money are possible only on the initiative of the passenger himself - after writing a corresponding statement to the carrier, and following the refusal - a claim to the airline for the return of funds, which, if the conflict escalates, can be presented in court.

Air transportation

Non-refundable tickets

After the introduction of amendments to the Air Code of the Russian Federation in 2014, such a category of air tickets appeared as tickets with the condition of non-refund of carriage charges upon termination of the contract of carriage or non-refundable air tickets.

These are, as a rule, economy class tickets at the cheapest fares and low-cost airline tickets.

The status of a non-refundable ticket is indicated by marks on the ticket:

• Ticket is non-refundable - a ticket with a non-refundable fare.
• Changes not permitted - the ticket cannot be exchanged.
• Changes any time charge - a ticket can be exchanged for a certain amount.
• Name change not permitted - the name specified on the ticket cannot be changed.
• Were fare is non-refundable any time in this case YQ/YR surcharges are also non-refundable - taxes (airport taxes) are not refundable.

A refund of the full cost of a non-refundable ticket is possible only in the event of a forced return of the ticket. If a passenger makes a voluntary return, the airline will deduct the fare amount from him. However, the airport and fuel taxes included in the ticket price, as well as the booking fee, will be required to be returned by the carrier.

Filing a claim for a refund for air tickets

To draw it up correctly, you need to refer to the norms of civil law. The protection of tourists' rights is also regulated by legislation in the field of consumer protection. A claim is a procedural document; it indicates the demands themselves and the grounds on which they are put forward. It will be better if the claim uses the laws that were violated by the air carrier.

You can also refer to the rules of transportation in the text, which are issued along with the air ticket. These rules should also mention the conditions for returning the ticket. But if the conditions stated by the air carrier contain provisions that directly contradict the law, then they are unlawful.

The complaint must indicate the period within which it must be considered and the address where the response should be sent.

How to return?

Refunds of air tickets due to forced circumstances are made on the basis of an application and attaching supporting documents. The refund application must be submitted by the person who paid for the air tickets, regardless of whether he is a passenger or not.

You must apply for a refund of your air ticket to the agency or carrier where the ticket was purchased.

Purchased at the airport or ordered by phone

There is no single established application form; as a rule, each air carrier has its own return application form. But as a standard, any application should indicate :

1. last name, first name, patronymic and passport details of the citizen applying for a refund;
2. details of the flight for which the refundable tickets were purchased;
3. numbers of returned tickets;
4. reasons for return - voluntary or forced;
5. bank details for making a refund (if the tickets were paid for by bank transfer).

The application for forced return must be accompanied by documents confirming the fact of forced return:

• A document confirming the delay or cancellation of a flight at the airport of departure or a mark on the ticket is issued at the ticket check-in counter or from an airline representative at the airport.
• A certificate of incapacity for work, a certificate from a medical institution or a certificate from an airport medical center - in case of illness of a passenger or a relative traveling with him.
• Death certificate issued by the civil registry office - in the event of the death of a close relative of the passenger.

Along with the documents, you must have an identification document of the applicant.

Medical certificates must necessarily contain the seal of the medical institution , the signature and transcript of the signature of the doctor who issued the certificate, the correspondence of the date of illness with the date of flight, and the date of issue of the certificate. A certificate issued by a foreign medical institution must be translated into Russian and the translation must be notarized.

When contacting the airline, you should receive a note indicating that your application with supporting documents has been accepted for processing. To do this, you can fill out two application forms or make a copy, on which the responsible employee will make a note about acceptance of the documents.

Each airline returns the amounts paid for air tickets based on its internal regulations. According to business rules, the period for consideration of an application should not exceed 30 days from the date of receipt of the application .

Purchased on the site

In order to return an electronic air ticket, you must fill out an electronic return form available in the passenger’s personal account, attach a scan of your passport and documents confirming the fact of the forced return of the ticket, if the circumstances were forced.

Let's look at the procedure for canceling an electronic air ticket using the example of a travel document purchased on the Aeroflot website.

1. You need to go to the “Online Services” section in the “Ticket Exchange/Refund” tab.
2. In the form that opens, enter the reservation code and the passenger’s last name as indicated on the ticket and click the “Search” button. The passenger will see a list of all active tickets ordered and paid for in his name.
3. To cancel a ticket, click the “Return” button and the “Continue” button.
4. The passenger receives a form with information about the refund of the ticket. When you click the “Continue” button, the document is canceled and the ticket will be assigned the “Returned” status.

Sample request for refund

How to file a claim for a refund?

By following the usual business correspondence templates, you can easily draw up a document such as a claim for a refund in a standard form.

Such a claim can be made simply by following the usual rules of business correspondence. This is a normal document, not much different from other business documents. If you need to make a claim for a refund, then in this article we will look at a sample claim for a refund and tell you how to fill it out.

Such a claim is most often written in cases where you bought a low-quality product in a store and want to return the money you spent.

What to do if they refuse to accept or exchange?

If the airline ignores the consideration of the application or refuses, then it is necessary to go to court to recover money from it for air tickets. Before this, the passenger must comply with the claims procedure for resolving disputes and submit a claim to the airline, the review period of which is 30 days.

After which the passenger has every right to go to court. In his statement of claim, the plaintiff sets out the circumstances that forced him to cancel the trip, the stages of contacting the airline before the trial. In the final part of the claim, the passenger indicates the amount he wants to recover from the airline.

In addition to the amount spent on air tickets, the passenger can apply for a claim for moral damages, compensation for other expenses incurred due to the fault of the airline due to the cancellation of the flight, and a lawyer’s fee for representation in court.

The statement of claim must be accompanied by documents confirming the right to a refund and documents for expenses incurred by the passenger due to the fault of the airline.

According to paragraph 7 of Art. 29 of the Code of Civil Procedure of the Russian Federation “Jurisdiction at the choice of the plaintiff”, a claim for the protection of consumer rights can be filed in court at the place of residence of the plaintiff or at the place of execution of the contract, or at the place of activity of the branch or representative office of the defendant (clause 2 of Article 29 of the Code of Civil Procedure of the Russian Federation).

There is no need to pay a state fee for consideration of a consumer protection case (paragraph 4, clause 2, article 333.36 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation “Benefits when appealing to the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, courts of general jurisdiction, and magistrates”).

The court must make a decision within two months from the date of receipt of the claim in the absence of circumstances that increase the period for consideration of the claim. The court decision must enter into legal force within 30 days from the date of its issuance, after which the passenger can receive a writ of execution to recover funds from the airline .

When purchasing an air ticket, it is necessary to clarify not only the general, but also the specific rules for returning tickets from the carrier airline. A full refund for an air ticket is possible if you are forced to cancel your flight or if you purchase a premium class travel document. If the carrier unlawfully refuses to refund the fare for the flight, the passenger has the right to go to court to recover money from him.

Do you want to know what to do if the purchased item does not meet any criteria or is generally unusable? On our portal you can familiarize yourself with the list of non-returnable goods and learn how to return and exchange technically complex or non-food products, namely:

• shoes and clothing;
• second-hand items;
• jewelry;
• medical preparations, equipment and materials.

Instructions for writing a claim for a refund due to the fault of the airline

Many passengers often ask, how much money is there for air tickets? If a dispute with airline representatives regarding the return of funds for air tickets takes on a conflicting tone, a claim to the airline is written as a last attempt at a peaceful resolution of the dispute. Thus, the text of the document must comply with the requirements of the Air Code, as well as for flight delays, available on almost every information portal, for example, here https://dogovor-blank.ru/template/Application/Application_for_refund_of_money_for_airline ticket. The paper itself must contain the information listed in the list:

• The name of the airline to which the corresponding claim is written indicating its head office, for example, the claim “Ural Airlines”, sample.
• Information about the applicant, namely his passport data (if the airline is international, information must be provided from abroad).
• Description of the fact of purchasing an air ticket for this particular airline, namely the document number, points of departure and destination, date and time of the planned departure in this direction.
• Providing justifications according to which the flight was impossible, namely a description of one of the circumstances given in the list above.
• Reference to Article 108 of the Air Code of the Russian Federation as the basis for the possibility of demanding funds, as well as to Article 32 of the PZPP.
• Formation of a request for the return of funds paid for an air ticket.
• Calculation of the amount to be refunded in accordance with the ticket price and the cost of other previously paid air carrier services, for example, additional payment for excess baggage or cellular communication services in flight.
• A description of the accompanying documents attached to this complaint, in particular, copies of air tickets or a previously written complaint.
• Indication of the details for which the return must be made.
• Date of preparation of the paper, personal signature of the applicant.

In conclusion, it must be said that the return of money paid for the services of an air carrier after writing a claim cannot be instantaneous, since representatives of the customer service department must carefully study the paper itself and the accompanying documentation, and also, if in doubt, check the facts. Only after this, based on the letter, the financial department will generate a payment in accordance with which the transfer will take place. So, from the moment the claim is written until the date of actual return, 15...30 days may pass. However, most often the air carrier does not want to spoil its reputation and will prefer to return the money rather than incur losses in the form of popularity among passengers.

Many of you do not know how to return a “non-refundable” air ticket. Let me tell you: there are no non-refundable tickets. There is ignorance of the laws. Therefore, copy the letter below, send it with registered notice to the airline where you purchased the flight and may you be happy! (By the way, this “happiness” has been tested on myself: knowledge of the laws works and guarantees the return of even “non-refundable” tickets! Study the laws;!

So you bought a ticket and want to return it? Write a letter! And don’t forget to send it by registered mail with notification!!! Blessed be the Russian Post

To the General Director
of JSC "***********" *******
registered at the address: here we write the address of the airline, according to the Internet

From Alexander Viktorovich Legkoy (change your name and address to yours)

residing at the address: postcode Russian Federation, region, city, street, building, apt.

kt.: 8-960-352-65-65 - (contact phone number - don’t call, it’s not mine anymore! :)) fax: email: indicate your

Claim

/about the refund of the amount paid for the air ticket/

I, Alexander Viktorovich Legkiy, August 25. 20** at 14-30 Moscow time, purchased on the website (company name) (site name) electronic ticket No. 0932400953347, with a total cost of 6,311 rubles / six thousand three hundred eleven rubles / for flight 0993 / Moscow-Kaliningrad / and 0717 / Kaliningrad-Paris /, scheduled for 10/03/20..

Taking advantage of your legal right, enshrined in Art. 108 of the Air Code of the Russian Federation, which states: an aircraft passenger has the right to refuse a flight by notifying the carrier no later than twenty-four hours in advance

before sending 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 an aircraft passenger refuses to fly later than the established period, the passenger 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, I, on September 15....., applied for a hot line (contact and write the name of the company) by phone number: 8 - 800 - 200 -** -**
with a request for a refund of the amount of money I paid for the air ticket.
However, at my request, the employees of “such and such aviaAbout for the protection of consumer rights” believe that the relationship that arose between me and “such and such aviaAbout for the protection of consumer rights”.

Based on Article 108 of the RF CC, the RF Law “On Protection of Consumer Rights”

ASK:

1. Refund to me the amount I paid for the air ticket in the amount of 6,311 rubles / six thousand three hundred eleven rubles / as soon as possible.

If the above requirement is rejected, I will be forced to file a lawsuit against “such and such aircraft” for compensation for moral damages in the amount of the cost of the air ticket 3) To recover from “such and such aircraft”

thousand rubles
(curb your appetites and indicate the amount from 50 to 100 thousand rubles)
Please provide me within 5 calendar days from the date of receipt of this claim a written response to the claim / send copies by e-mail, fax indicated by me in the claim / containing obligation “such and such aircraft of such and such airline” dated 08/25/20**.

"_16_" September 20**

Legky A.V.

USUALLY AFTER RECEIVING SUCH A LETTER, THE AIRLINE REFUND YOUR MONEY FOR THE TICKET, THIS IS HOW IT HAPPENED AND IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, TAKE IT INTO YOUR ARMS AND USE IT! AND THE STRENGTH, TRUTH AND ACCELERATION WILL BE WITH US :)

Application (for refund of air ticket cost) Attachments:

Help other people find this sample airline ticket refund application.

Other rights in connection with flight cancellation

If the airline cancels the flight and offers an alternative route, then situations with upgrading/downgrading the cabin class of the aircraft are possible. When providing a seat in a higher cabin class than provided by the ticket, the carrier has no right to charge an additional fee .

The opposite situation may also arise. For example, the company offered a seat in a lower class than the class indicated on the ticket. Then you can get back 30-70% of the cost you originally paid.

If a flight is cancelled, the passenger must be provided with information regarding his rights related to the cancellation of the flight at the check-in counter at each airport.

Compensation for canceled connecting flights

Compensation for connecting flight cancellations depends on whether the tickets were purchased as part of the same booking. If the transfer is made within the same booking, and the passenger misses the plane due to the cancellation of the first flight, then the air carrier is obliged to refund the entire cost of the route or offer another route under the same conditions .

While waiting for another flight, passengers are provided with the same services as when the plane is delayed - drinks, meals, etc.

If the connection was purchased on separate tickets, the at-fault airline will only reimburse the cost of its air ticket. The passenger will return the second ticket on a general basis.

Compensation for flight cancellation in Europe

When calculating compensation, European airlines rely on the Montreal Convention and EU Regulation No. 261/2004. If the air carrier notifies about the cancellation of the flight more than 14 days in advance, no compensation payments to the passenger are due.

If a flight is canceled in less than 2 weeks, the company’s client will be paid from 125 to 600 €. If the flight is refused due to overbooking (more tickets were sold than seats on the plane), then the amount of compensation will be 250-600 €.

If a Russian airline, for example Pobeda, flies to one of the EU countries, then during this route it is also subject to foreign legislation regarding compensation for inconvenience caused to customers in connection with the postponement or cancellation of the flight.