My ticket price dropped - can I get a refund?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: PHL
Programs: AA Executive Platinum; UA; Delta; SW; Hilton
Posts: 70
My ticket price dropped - can I get a refund?
Hi there, Early this week, I purchased 4 tickets to fly USAir to Europe in the spring.
I used "yapta" and guess what -- the price dropped over $100 per ticket.
What is the rule of thumb with USAir...is it possible to get a refund?
Thanks in advance for your help.
I used "yapta" and guess what -- the price dropped over $100 per ticket.
What is the rule of thumb with USAir...is it possible to get a refund?
Thanks in advance for your help.
#2
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Washington DC
Programs: AA Plat
Posts: 1,304
No luck. The drop has to be more than the change fee ($250 Int'l). You'd receive a voucher for future travel for the difference, not a refund.
http://flights.usairways.com/en-US/t...s/default.html
Lower fare guarantee
When a new lower fare becomes available after a ticket has been purchased, customers are entitled to a lower fare guarantee refund within the following guidelines. We will deduct a $150 change fee ($250 for international travel) and apply residual funds in the form of a US voucher. Additional rules and restrictions may apply. Call reservations for a lower fare guarantee.
The lower fare is available for the exact itinerary previously purchased.
No portion of the reservation has been flown.
Lower fare guarantee refunds are not available for online ticket exchanges. Certain promotional fares may be excluded.
http://flights.usairways.com/en-US/t...s/default.html
Lower fare guarantee
When a new lower fare becomes available after a ticket has been purchased, customers are entitled to a lower fare guarantee refund within the following guidelines. We will deduct a $150 change fee ($250 for international travel) and apply residual funds in the form of a US voucher. Additional rules and restrictions may apply. Call reservations for a lower fare guarantee.
The lower fare is available for the exact itinerary previously purchased.
No portion of the reservation has been flown.
Lower fare guarantee refunds are not available for online ticket exchanges. Certain promotional fares may be excluded.
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: PHL
Programs: AA Executive Platinum; UA; Delta; SW; Hilton
Posts: 70
Thanks so much for your reply. This is depressing. Actually, it dropped about $300 per ticket!!! It's really bad luck -- I just purchased these tix 3 days ago at a much higher price. It's part of an anniversary cruise trip for my parents, so the cruise travel agency says they can't do anything -- and USair says they can't do anything & they keep referring me back to each other. I'll keep trying...if you have any other suggestions, I'm all ears.
#4
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: DCA
Programs: Underappreciated US CP, nobody status with everyone else.
Posts: 176
I'd say simply try to forget about it - tickets were bought for a special occasion and keep that in mind. Don't let a few hundred bucks ruin it
2 points I tend to keep in mind when I buy tickets. 1. I was happy enough with the price before I clicked buy. 2. The airline doesn't come back to me asking me for more if the price goes up.
2 points I tend to keep in mind when I buy tickets. 1. I was happy enough with the price before I clicked buy. 2. The airline doesn't come back to me asking me for more if the price goes up.
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: PHL
Programs: AA Executive Platinum; UA; Delta; SW; Hilton
Posts: 70
Thanks for the kind words, NoMiddleSeat. Much appreciated!
I agree with you and I'm trying to do just that -- forget about it.
I agree with you and I'm trying to do just that -- forget about it.
#6
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: PHL
Programs: Former long-time US GP; now AA dirt
Posts: 4,904
"Lower fare guarantee" = the single biggest lie that US perpetuates. How can you charge $150-$250 and call it a "guarantee"? Mind boggling.
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: PHL
Programs: AA Executive Platinum; UA; Delta; SW; Hilton
Posts: 70
Agree...truly a creepy policy. As you know, many businesses across the board honor new prices when they drop...especially so close to the purchase date. I often wonder who came up with these unreasonable (and mean) pricing models.... (That's why domestically, I always try to fly Southwest. At least they are flexible and offer good customer support.)
#8
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: PHL
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, AA Gold, FB Gold, ITA Volare Executive
Posts: 3,294
Far be it from me to defend (or explain) the US pricing model ...
I admit I would feel differently if I were unable to time my purchases. And, yes,
the advertising is misleading. In effect, they are saying that if you happened to buy what turns out to have been an incredibly over-priced ticket, they will give a little of it back to you.
#10
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: PHL
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, AA Gold, FB Gold, ITA Volare Executive
Posts: 3,294
I agree ... if you buy, and the price drops, sure, who wouldn't want the refund? I certainly would.
I was simply speculating that there might be less availability of those occasional "flash" drops that many of us have seen were they to trigger refunds.
I was simply speculating that there might be less availability of those occasional "flash" drops that many of us have seen were they to trigger refunds.
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: where lions are led by donkeys...
Programs: Lifetime Gold, Global Entry, Hertz PC, and my wallet
Posts: 20,340
Forget it. I know people who will buy stuff, and then scour the internet to see if they could have got it cheaper, and then moan. Once you have bought something, switch off, forget it, it's done.
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Pittsburgh
Programs: MR/SPG LT Titanium, AA LT PLT, UA SLV, Avis PreferredPlus
Posts: 30,993
To enact this policy again would mean a tremendous reduction in fare sales and price reductions, as the airline would be liable for refunds on every previously sold ticket. And you can be sure, in today's world, there would be web sites that tracked your tickets and alerted you to a fare drop/refund due.
#13
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: rdu and nyc
Programs: US silver, DL exGM, UA ex1K (now GM), B6, WN, AA
Posts: 125
competitor's policies...(LCC)
And how exactly did that business model pan out for the legacy US carriers? I seem to recall a Chapter 11 in their past.
To enact this policy again would mean a tremendous reduction in fare sales and price reductions, as the airline would be liable for refunds on every previously sold ticket. And you can be sure, in today's world, there would be web sites that tracked your tickets and alerted you to a fare drop/refund due.
To enact this policy again would mean a tremendous reduction in fare sales and price reductions, as the airline would be liable for refunds on every previously sold ticket. And you can be sure, in today's world, there would be web sites that tracked your tickets and alerted you to a fare drop/refund due.
There are always Spirit and RyanAir to cite as worst...
#14
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: PHL
Programs: Former long-time US GP; now AA dirt
Posts: 4,904
And how exactly did that business model pan out for the legacy US carriers? I seem to recall a Chapter 11 in their past.
To enact this policy again would mean a tremendous reduction in fare sales and price reductions, as the airline would be liable for refunds on every previously sold ticket. And you can be sure, in today's world, there would be web sites that tracked your tickets and alerted you to a fare drop/refund due.
To enact this policy again would mean a tremendous reduction in fare sales and price reductions, as the airline would be liable for refunds on every previously sold ticket. And you can be sure, in today's world, there would be web sites that tracked your tickets and alerted you to a fare drop/refund due.
#15
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Washington, DC
Programs: US-CP, UA, Marriott Rewards, HHonors, Avis,
Posts: 4,549
Among the Low Cost Carriers that US markets against, the US policy is the least consumer-oriented. B6 gives credit for the difference in vouchers, especially if you call during their one day sales (US matches new ticket prices on these sales in competitive markets), and WN lets you re-ticket without penalty on their website at the lower price, with price differences available for future purchase for same flyer.
There are always Spirit and RyanAir to cite as worst...
There are always Spirit and RyanAir to cite as worst...
So as a consumer, I can choose to spend my $ with an airline that has easy-to-understand fee structures and doesn't charge fees for many things but can't help me get to Europe, or I can learn the fee structures, do my best to avoid fees when I can, and fly on the A380 with my miles. I choose the latter, but I can absolutely understand how the inexperienced traveler can end up feeling cheated and burned. I think a well-crafted consumer education campaign would be a huge advantage to the airline that chose to run it, so that people can make informed choices. I think there's also creative ways for an airline to fit in that niche between properly protecting revenue and charging too many fees; for example, a "price insurance" service where customers paid an extra fee to get 110% of the airfare difference in a credit, if the price goes down. But then again, I'm not an airline analyst so I might be just talking out of my ear (to steal my mom's phrase). CO tried with their fee to lock in a ticket price before purchase but I believe that program has since been withdrawn so I might be completely clueless on the demand.
It panned out quite well. US's stock price was flat in the two years after its 2005 reorganization when we could request a non-fee credit voucher (it was never a "refund"; the money had to be spent on a future US flight anyway). Since US began charging a fee for a lower-fare credit, US's stock is off 80%.
Last edited by dcpatti; Jan 16, 2012 at 1:01 pm