Can you change a saver ticket to a flex ticket and then cancel?
Apr 3, 2020, 8:21 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 192
Can you change a saver ticket to a flex ticket and then cancel?
A friend and I were planning to go to the Edinburgh Festival in August, which has been cancelled. We have economy save tickets from MEL-LHR. We want to cancel, but standard cancellation fees are AUD550.
Of course, there's every chance that there will be a flight cancellation and we'll get a full refund. But August is still a ways away, and for Cathay's sake I hope they're up and running again by then.
I was just looking at the options to change the flights through Manage My Booking and it has the option to pay an additional amount to upgrade to an economy flex ticket, which has no cancellation fees. The change fee is less than the cancellation fees would have been. So can you change to a flex ticket, and then cancel that for a full refund? It doesn't seem like it should work, otherwise everyone would do it. Is there a catch here I'm missing? Does the cancellation fee carry over?
Of course, there's every chance that there will be a flight cancellation and we'll get a full refund. But August is still a ways away, and for Cathay's sake I hope they're up and running again by then.
I was just looking at the options to change the flights through Manage My Booking and it has the option to pay an additional amount to upgrade to an economy flex ticket, which has no cancellation fees. The change fee is less than the cancellation fees would have been. So can you change to a flex ticket, and then cancel that for a full refund? It doesn't seem like it should work, otherwise everyone would do it. Is there a catch here I'm missing? Does the cancellation fee carry over?
Apr 3, 2020, 9:47 pm
#3
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Shanghai
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Apr 4, 2020, 6:12 am
#4
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: TPE / HSZ
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Posts: 6,436
You are exactly right. The additional collection for upfare would be refundable, but not the original amount.
Apr 4, 2020, 8:02 pm
#6
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: HKG
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To give you a bit of relevant advice lionelhutz, you may be trying to be a bit too proactive, personally I'd wait until a week before the flight before cancelling:
1. There is a fair chance in the summer there are still disruptions, so you may be able to get your money back fee free (i.e. if Cathay doesn't restart their MEL-HKG flight, if they do it fewer days a week and yours is cancelled)
2. Your travel insurance would presumably cover the disruption (sadly if you don't have any now it won't cover the festival of coruse for any newly purchased one, but may cover any other problems in London at the same time)
3. Cathay may extend their flexible changes for a longer period, i.e. covering the summer, particularly if transits are banned or Australia remains closed (as seems likely for a while)
4. The UK could be a great place to visit in summer if through some miracle the restrictions are fully lifted by then, plenty to see beyond just the festival
1. There is a fair chance in the summer there are still disruptions, so you may be able to get your money back fee free (i.e. if Cathay doesn't restart their MEL-HKG flight, if they do it fewer days a week and yours is cancelled)
2. Your travel insurance would presumably cover the disruption (sadly if you don't have any now it won't cover the festival of coruse for any newly purchased one, but may cover any other problems in London at the same time)
3. Cathay may extend their flexible changes for a longer period, i.e. covering the summer, particularly if transits are banned or Australia remains closed (as seems likely for a while)
4. The UK could be a great place to visit in summer if through some miracle the restrictions are fully lifted by then, plenty to see beyond just the festival
Apr 4, 2020, 8:33 pm
#7
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: HKG/HND/OOL
Programs: QF Emerald. SQ Gold.
Posts: 3,166
just wait a little longer.
even if pandemic situation abated by then i would suspect pretty conservative approach to opening up of boarders and perception to travel, meaning very likely for flexibility to be extended.
situations evolving on daily/weekly basis, predicting for Aug is like asking for next weeks Lotto number
even if pandemic situation abated by then i would suspect pretty conservative approach to opening up of boarders and perception to travel, meaning very likely for flexibility to be extended.
situations evolving on daily/weekly basis, predicting for Aug is like asking for next weeks Lotto number
Apr 5, 2020, 9:43 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 192
Thanks all, I suspected that wouldn't work and am planning to just wait it out. Every chance of a cancellation and even if not, AUD550 is not the end of the world.
BTW, my travel insurer won't cover it because the flights were booked just after their COVID-19 cut off date of 20 January, after which everyone is deemed to have known about the risk of coronavirus disruptions. Seems like a shocking rort to me, on 20 January the virus was just in Wuhan, a long way from disrupting travel to the UK. I would love to see someone challenge it.
BTW, my travel insurer won't cover it because the flights were booked just after their COVID-19 cut off date of 20 January, after which everyone is deemed to have known about the risk of coronavirus disruptions. Seems like a shocking rort to me, on 20 January the virus was just in Wuhan, a long way from disrupting travel to the UK. I would love to see someone challenge it.
Apr 6, 2020, 12:25 am
#9
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: LON
Programs: BAEC
Posts: 3,911
BTW, my travel insurer won't cover it because the flights were booked just after their COVID-19 cut off date of 20 January, after which everyone is deemed to have known about the risk of coronavirus disruptions. Seems like a shocking rort to me, on 20 January the virus was just in Wuhan, a long way from disrupting travel to the UK. I would love to see someone challenge it.
Apr 6, 2020, 1:21 am
#10
Ambassador, Hong Kong and Macau
Join Date: May 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: Non-top tier Asia Miles member
Posts: 19,774
Thanks all, I suspected that wouldn't work and am planning to just wait it out. Every chance of a cancellation and even if not, AUD550 is not the end of the world.
BTW, my travel insurer won't cover it because the flights were booked just after their COVID-19 cut off date of 20 January, after which everyone is deemed to have known about the risk of coronavirus disruptions. Seems like a shocking rort to me, on 20 January the virus was just in Wuhan, a long way from disrupting travel to the UK. I would love to see someone challenge it.
BTW, my travel insurer won't cover it because the flights were booked just after their COVID-19 cut off date of 20 January, after which everyone is deemed to have known about the risk of coronavirus disruptions. Seems like a shocking rort to me, on 20 January the virus was just in Wuhan, a long way from disrupting travel to the UK. I would love to see someone challenge it.
AIG HK and AIG SG are using 29 Jan https://www.aig.com.hk/campaign-page...utbreak-notice and 30 Jan https://www.aig.sg/personal/travel-guard/producers respectively.
AFCA?
Apr 14, 2020, 1:07 am
#11
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX DM/OWE, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 155
To give you a bit of relevant advice lionelhutz, you may be trying to be a bit too proactive, personally I'd wait until a week before the flight before cancelling:
1. There is a fair chance in the summer there are still disruptions, so you may be able to get your money back fee free (i.e. if Cathay doesn't restart their MEL-HKG flight, if they do it fewer days a week and yours is cancelled)
2. Your travel insurance would presumably cover the disruption (sadly if you don't have any now it won't cover the festival of coruse for any newly purchased one, but may cover any other problems in London at the same time)
3. Cathay may extend their flexible changes for a longer period, i.e. covering the summer, particularly if transits are banned or Australia remains closed (as seems likely for a while)
4. The UK could be a great place to visit in summer if through some miracle the restrictions are fully lifted by then, plenty to see beyond just the festival
1. There is a fair chance in the summer there are still disruptions, so you may be able to get your money back fee free (i.e. if Cathay doesn't restart their MEL-HKG flight, if they do it fewer days a week and yours is cancelled)
2. Your travel insurance would presumably cover the disruption (sadly if you don't have any now it won't cover the festival of coruse for any newly purchased one, but may cover any other problems in London at the same time)
3. Cathay may extend their flexible changes for a longer period, i.e. covering the summer, particularly if transits are banned or Australia remains closed (as seems likely for a while)
4. The UK could be a great place to visit in summer if through some miracle the restrictions are fully lifted by then, plenty to see beyond just the festival