Originally Posted by
GW McLintock
There's a lot here as well so I'm going to unpack it point by point.
Per the page I linked in my prior post, specifically in the section titled "
Cancellations within 24 hours":
That is the only caveat of booking less than seven days in advance. You can still always get a Travel Bank for the value of the ticket up until an hour or so before departure.
IME this is the case with most airlines. I have canceled AS and DL tickets (as well at JB) very close-in to departure, sometimes even after I've gotten to the airport and gone through security. Once I had an emergency at home and had to leave; another time, I had a WN ticket booked as well and ended up taking them since it was cheaper and (surprisingly) on time (though I later regretted that decision and got to my destination nearly three hours late, in the middle of the night).
Correct. If you never checked in, then you can go straight to canceling the ticket. I always check in online or with the app at T-24, it's just a habit for me. But if you have checked luggage it doesn't really make a difference.
This is correct, and is the case with most major airlines in the USA (as long as you aren't on a basic economy ticket). I very often buy tickets to "lock in the price" as you essentially put it, and if I see the price go down (I often set alerts with Google Flights) I will cancel for a Travel Bank or similar credit, and rebook with said credit.
IIRC Blue fares have always permitted this.
Yes.
-J.
Wow thank you very much for explaining all this very clearly for me. I am very surprised that even american and delta allows this as well as long as it isn't basic economy with them.
So you are also saying if you book a jetblue blue flight say right now and the departure is 2 days from now even. You can cancel it anytime now until that day you board and that still gives you the travelbank? So no caring about more than 7 days or booking less than 7 days, you will get travelbank regardless as long as booking with jetblue blue?
What do you mean you had a WN ticket booked as well? You are saying you could have 2 airline tickets with 2 different airlines booked for the same day and similar time and then cancel one of them on that day when you get to the airport? But if you do that, you obviously have to cancel at least one of them? Why would anyone do this? In case the earlier one gets cancelled, then you go on the other one? But you will get travelbank and you make sure you use that travelbank later on?
Okay so checking in before you go the airport isn't good idea if you have a checked bag. That is why I never understood why someone would do that. Like what if you don't make it to the airport in time, then checking in already doesn't make any sense at all especially if you can still cancel it. But cancelling the check in and then cancelling the flight for travelbank isn't that big of a hassle right? By hassle I mean the first part of unchecking in. The only reason for you to check in whether the day before or the day of your flight before you get to the airport is if you are sure you will get there on time, but most importantly you have zero checked luggage right? With checked luggage, checking in before you get to airport does nothing at all? It doesn't save you time etc? Also the thing is when you check in at the counter, they always give you a boarding ticket. Now if you check in before you get to airport and have no checked luggage, do you print your boarding ticket at home? Or you just print it out at the kiosk at the airport? Then again you checking in at home before you get to the airport is so you don't have to check in at the airport right? But if you check in at the airport, do you need to wait in line to check in with the agent to get that physical boarding pass? Or can you actually print that boarding pass on the kiosk?
For me, I always have checked luggage so I first have to use the kiosk first and then wait in line and check in with the person in the counter. I did recall once or twice only having to check in at the kiosk and print the boarding pass and then dropping off my checked luggage at those machines where lot of people drop it off. But is there a reason sometimes I don't need to check in at the counter with an actual person compared to the times I don't? I'm trying to remember and I think it has to do with the terminals? Or if someone just rather have a check in person do everything for them if they are confused with the kiosk? But you always have to use the kiosk first to print something before you go on the physical line and wait right?