vickh

booked SEA-FCO last year, can't fly now. I realize that the base fare is non refundable. ~$200 change fee so I guess changing to a 1/06 departure would not be feasible?

The taxes are around a $80 dollars X 2 tickets, so I'm going to fight for this.

Should I get any/all of the taxes back?

Should I call orbitz or US Air?

Also someone here posted that this trip was overbooked for them. Would it be possible for me to request a bump over the phone after checking in online? If i'm denied can I still get the taxes back? if i can how do I check oversold status online?



Fare rules:

HLWAN3
Eligibility Not Applicable
Penalties CANCELLATIONS TICKET IS NON-REFUNDABLE. WAIVED FOR DEATH OF PASSENGER. NOTE - I./A. BEFORE DEPARTURE - IF THE RESERVATION IS CANCELED ON/BEFORE TICKETED DEPARTURE DATE / THE VALUE OF THE ORIGINAL/NONREFUNDABLE TICKET MINUS US AIRWAYS ADMINISTRATION FEE WHICH WILL BE DEDUCTED AT THE TIME THE ITINERARY IS CANCELED/ MAY BE APPLIED WITHIN ONE YEAR FROM ORIGINAL DATE OF ISSUE FOR FUTURE TRAVEL ON US AIRWAYS WHEN PURCHASING A NEW TICKET ON ANOTHER US AIRWAYS FLIGHT. ANY SUCH FUTURE TRAVEL TICKET IS A SEPARATE TICKET PURCHASE / AND NOT A CONTINUATION / EXTENSION OR SUBSTITUTION OF THE UNUSED TICKET. SUCH ORIGINAL/NONREFUNDABLE TICKETS HAVE NO CASH VALUE/NO OTHER TRADE IN OR EXCHANGE VALUE / AND MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER PERSON. US AIRWAYS MAY IN ITS DISCRETION DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF THE ADMINISTRATION FEE WHICH SHALL BE NOT LESS THAN USD 200.00 AND MAY IMPOSE OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS THERON. B . AFTER DEPARTURE DATE - IF TICKETED FLIGHT RESERVATIONS WERE NOT CANCELLED - THE TICKET HAS NO VALUE AND STANDBY IS NOT PERMITTED. II.PENALTY WAIVED FOR DEATH OF PAX/TVL COMPANION. WAIVERS MUST BE EVIDENCED BY DEATH CERTIFICATE. FARES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND ARE NOT GUARANTEED UNTIL A TICKET IS PURCHASED. CUSTOMER COMMITMENT/ APPLIES - PASSENGER MAY CANCEL A PURCHASED TICKET WITHOUT PENALTY WITHIN 24 HOURS OF MAKING INITIAL RESERVATION. CHANGES ANY TIME CHARGE USD 200.00 FOR REISSUE/REVALIDATION. CHILD/INFANT DISCOUNTS APPLY. WAIVED FOR DEATH OF PASSENGER. NOTE - - ALSO WAIVED FOR DEATH OF TRAVELING COMPANION. - WAIVERS MUST BE EVIDENCED BY DEATH CERTIFICATE. NOTE 2. IF TICKETED FLIGHT RESERVATIONS ARE NOT REBOOKED ON/BEFORE TICKETED DEPARTURE DATE - CHANGES ARE NOT PERMITTED/ THE TICKET HAS NO VALUE AND STANDBY IS NOT PERMITTED. NOTE 3. PROVIDED PSGR CANCELS THE TICKETED FLIGHT RESERVATION ON/BEFORE THE TICKETED DEPARTURE DATE - ITINERARIES MAY BE REBOOKED UP TO ONE YEAR FROM FROM DATE OF TICKET ISSUE. -CHANGE FEE ALWAYS APPLIES AS FOLLOWS- ANY DIFFERENCE IN FARES PLUS THE CHANGE FEE MUST BE COLLECTED. IF THE RE-PRICE RESULTS IN A LOWER FARE-THE DIFFERENCE IN FARES LESS THE CHANGE FEE WILL BE RETURNED IN THE FORM OF A NON-REFUNDABLE VOUCHER VALID FOR TRAVEL VIA US ONLY. I. BEFORE ORIGINATION A. ANY CHANGE TO THE ORIGINATING FLIGHT ON THE TICKET REQUIRES RE-PRICING ENTIRE TICKET. NOTE - MEASURE ADV PURCHASE FROM REISSUE DATE TO FIRST DEPARTURE DATE OF PRICEABLE UNIT OF NEW TICKET. -- CHANGE FEE APPLIES. B. CHANGES TO CONTINUING/RETURN FLIGHTS - - ARE PERMITTED PROVIDED THE ORIGINAL BOOKING CODE IS AVAILABLE AND ALL RULES OF THE FARE ARE MET. -- CHANGE FEE APPLIES. --------- NOTE - IF NEW TRAVEL DOES NOT MEET ALL CONDITIONS OF TRAVEL OF THE ORIGINAL FARE - RE-PRICE THE ENTIRE TICKET. NOTE - MEASURE ADVANCE PURCHASE FROM ORIGINAL TKT DATE TO FIRST DEPARTURE DATE OF THE PRICEABLE UNIT OF THE NEW TICKET. --------- II. AFTER ORIGINATION NOTE -- IF TICKETED FLIGHT RSVN IS NOT CHANGED ON/BEFORE THE TICKETED DEPARTURE DATE - REBOOKING IS NOT PERMITTED/ THE TKT HAS NO VALUE AND STANDBY IS NOT PERMITTED. A. CHANGES MAY BE MADE ON/BEFORE THE TICKETED DEPARTURE DATE OF EACH FLIGHT WITHOUT REGARD TO ADV RSVN REQUIREMENTS-PROVIDED THE ORIGINAL BOOKING CODE IS AVAILABLE AND ALL FARE RULES ARE MET. -- CHANGE FEE APPLIES. B. IF THE TICKET BEING EXCHANGED HAS MORE THAN ONE FARE TYPE - THE MOST RESTRICTIVE RULE APPLIES TO THE ENTIRE TICKET. --------- III. ANYTIME STANDBY - PROVIDED PASSENGER CANCELS THE TICKETED FLIGHT RESERVATION ON/BEFORE THE TICKETED DEPARTURE DATE - STANDBY ON TICKETED DAYS OF TRAVEL IS PERMITTED. ALL FARE RULES OF THE TICKETED FARE MUST BE MET-INCLUDING FLIGHT AND TIME SPECIFIC PROVISIONS. IF TICKETED FLT RESERVATIONS ARE NOT CANCELLED ON/BEFORE TICKETED DEPARTURE DATE - STANDBY IS NOT PERMITTED AND THE TICKET HAS NO VALUE.
Surcharges A SURCHARGE OF USD 25.00 PER DIRECTION WILL BE ADDED TO THE APPLICABLE FARE FOR TRAVEL FOR TRANSATLANTIC SECTORS. NOTE - THIS SURCHARGE IS GOVERNED BY GENERAL RULE 10 AND IS ASSESSED FOR ANY FARE-PAYING PASSENGER EACH TIME TRAVEL INVOLVESAN ENPLANEMENT ON A US TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT TO/FROM/VIA U.S.A./CANADA. -EXCEPTION- THIS SURCHARGE DOES NOT APPLY TO PASSENGERS TRAVELING ON ANY US FREE TICKET. 1. THE SURCHARGE SHALL BE CONVERTED TO THE APPLICABLE CURRENCY FOR THE COUNTRY OF COMMENCEMENT OF TRANSPORTATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE APPROPRIATE IATA RATE OF EXCHANGE. 2. THE SURCHARGE APPLIES IN ADDITION TO ALL OTHER CHARGES AND IS NOT SUBJECT TO ANY DISCOUNT.
Day Time Application PERMITTED FRI THROUGH SUN ON EACH TRANSATLANTIC SECTOR.
Embargo Dates Not Applicable
Maximum Stay RETURN TRAVEL FROM LAST SECTOR MUST COMMENCE NO LATER THAN MIDNIGHT 2 MONTHS AFTER DEPARTURE FROM FARE ORIGIN.
Minimum Stay RETURN TRAVEL FROM INBOUND TRANSATLANTIC SECTOR MUST COMMENCE NO EARLIER THAN 6 DAYS AFTER DEPARTURE OF THE OUTBOUND TRANSATLANTIC SECTOR.
Seasonality PERMITTED 01NOV THROUGH 12DEC OR 26DEC THROUGH 27MAR ON THE OUTBOUND TRANSATLANTIC SECTOR.
Advance Reservation Ticketing Restrictions RESERVATIONS FOR ALL SECTORS ARE REQUIRED AT LEAST 14 DAYS BEFORE DEPARTURE. TICKETING MUST BE COMPLETED WITHIN 72 HOURS AFTER RESERVATIONS ARE MADE OR AT LEAST 14 DAYS BEFORE DEPARTURE WHICHEVER IS EARLIER.
Flight Applications THE FARE COMPONENT MUST INCLUDE TRAVEL VIA EACH TRANSATLANTIC SECTOR ON ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING ANY US FLIGHT.
Sales Restrictions TICKETS MAY BE ISSUED BY PTA. PTA CONSTITUTES TICKETING. NOTE - PASSENGERS MUST BE NOTIFIED PRIOR TO TICKET ISSUANCE THAT FARES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE. ------------------------------------------- EXTENSION OF TICKET VALIDITY FOR MEDICAL REASONS IS NOT PERMITTED.
Refunds Reissues REFER TO PENALTIES CATEGORY

Your Price
Number of
Passengers Input Lowest Passenger
Type Used in Pricing Ticket Price
per Person Taxes & Fees
per Person Price
1 Adult
1 Adult
152.00 USD
80.45 USD
232.45 USD

Your Total Price 232.45 USD .

StSebastian

Taxes should be refunded because that's not part of your contract with the airline -- that's separate with the government(s) involved. You won't get the base fare back, but you should get the taxes back without a problem (though sometimes it can be a hassle). If you don't fly then the airline doesn't have to pay the government entity, so the money should be available to give back to you.

I canceled an award ticket (on AA, not US) a little while back and while it took a while, the taxes were refunded to my credit card.

catwood

I've gotten my taxes back within a week on USairways, you don't have to fight for it, it's pretty easy

berkovec

Can anyone who's been successful getting their taxes, refunded by USAir mention how they managed it ?

I've called a few times, and they are consistent in telling the taxes are not refundable even if I don't take the trip.

Each time I ask who gets the taxes, and both agents I've spoken to seem to have made up a different answer for that ( and I don't believe either one).

I have no problem letting them keep the nonrefundable fare. But I sure resent
paying taxes for a flight I don't take.

PHLFlyer

Yes, you are entitled to refund of the taxes. As a ticketing manager for a non-USA based carrier, I say this will complete certainty.

Request the refund from the agency that issued the ticket.

berkovec

It certainly seems to me that taxes should be refundable.

But neither the airline nor the issuing agency (travelocity in this case),
will process it. I'm happy to let them have the base fare, but I
want my taxes back !! Now I'm riled up !!

The travelocity guy was in india, and I'm not sure he even understood the
concept of taxes, but I asked the question a few different times in different
ways just to make sure he understood my english. Outsourcing..sigh.

Usually my strategy is to just call again and again, but in this case its getting old.

If anyone has sucessfully done this with either USAir or Travelocity, how/who
did you talk with ?

snokums925

As a Supervisor in Reservations with HP, yes, the taxes ARE refundable if the ticket is not used. The issue will be who will process the refund? Since the ticket was issued thru a travel agent (Travelocity) they SHOULD take care of it. My experience with Travelocity (and other web based travel agencies) is that they will push you back on the carrier who issued the ticket (their ticket stock).
In the name of good customer service and to prevent the customer from being "ping-ponged" around, US should just do it and get it over with!

bhatnasx

What about when you cancel a non-refundable fare & they issue you a credit? I recently had to buy a 295.00 ticket for DCA-AVL for work & then had to cancel it. They said that since it was a non-refundable fare, that I could hold the value of the ticket minus 100.00 - so I currently have a 195.00 credit. Should the taxes on something like that be creditted back & leave me with the base fare minus $100 since the taxes on my future ticket could change?

Also, to the OP, instead of losing the full value of the ticket, why don you just cancel & keep the $132 credit on US & use it for a future ticket? That way, you only lose out 100 bucks instead of 152 bucks?

snokums925

In that case, the taxes will be recaculated when the old ticket is used, so a refund would not take place. Help me on this--US allows you to "deduct" the reissue fee from the fare? If that is true, WOW. At HP, the reissue fee is an "out of pocket" expense that you pay when the ticket is reissued. If the ticket is non-refundable, no residual value is allowed. Example--I have a ticket from PHX-PHL that I paid 400.00 for. My new fare is 375.00--I lose the 25.00 residual value and pay 100.00 reissue fee.
We train our agents to get the new value as close to the old value as possible to avoid the loss of residual value.
It seems that if US allows the chg fee to be taken out of the value they are missing a very important revenue stream here!
Can anyone verify this??

ibrandsguest

How did you find the fare rules for a ticket you already bought? From the US website or elsewhere?

Thanks.

bhatnasx

That's what NW does (I've had to deal with this with them before) & that's how I understood it to be from a rep on the Gold Line - if I'm wrong, which I may be, apologies.

vickh

same problem again . Refund dept. said no to refunding taxes? Any new policies or phone #s to contact.