The Traveller's Magazine
Has it ever happened to you that, especially with a low cost airline, you find a great deal, book it on impulse only to find out that it doesn’t fit your plans and you have to abandon ship? What happens to the tickets? All’s not lost with this new initiative, a website where you can Change your flight.
The numbers speak for themselves. Out of the cheap flight offers in Europe, 7 out of 100 flight tickets go unused. “A measly 7?” one might ask. Yes, that measly 7 unused tickets accounts for 40,000 empty plane seats every day.
What about these 40,000 passengers? Some demand a formal refund with their airline but as you probably know, buy non-refundalbe flights (they’re usually the cheapest after all) meaning they’re entitled to zilch if they miss or don’t board their flight. Put your mind at ease, there are other alternatives!
Change your flight
If you’ve ever had a change of plans and bought a flight ticket that you didn’t use, check out this video from Change your flight, a new web initiative to help travellers get their money back on unused journeys.
How does it work?
Change your flights is an intuitive service which helps connect passengers and airlines, protecting the interests of both parties involved. On one side, it helps passengers get refunds from unused tickets. On the other side, it helps airlines to avoid taking off with empty seats onboard (which we all know will help save the environment).
The concept is simple: you enter your booking details for the trip you won’t be taking, choosing the flights that won’t be used. Take a look at the suggestions and set the amount you’d like to get back. Click confirm and then sit back (patiently). Change your flights will take care of connecting with the airline. Change your mind about that trip after all? No problem, cancel the request at any time.
The thing is, not all requests for refunds are accepted. If you ask for too much, the airline might turn it down. A good thing to remember is the lower your Refund Request, the higher likelihood that the airline will approve it.
Like it?
If you know you’ve got a trip coming up that you won’t be taking, check out changeyourflight.com and apply for a partial refund on your plane tickets up to 2 hours before take-off. The refund will be issued in the form of a voucher, to be used towards further trips with your original airline.
For now, Change your flights only partners with AirOne but more are in the works!
Have you ever bought flight tickets you didn’t use? What do you think of Change your flights?
