Refundable or not? on co.com
 

I was booking tickets for my brother and his girlfriend to visit for Thanksgiving and got to the Review Ticket Details page, and read the following (boldface emphasis added):

Rules and Restrictions:

# This ticket is refundable.
# Read the penalty rules for changes and cancellations associated with this fare.
# Read the complete rules and restrictions applicable for this fare.
# Read the Electronic Travel Certificate terms and conditions (if applicable).
# Non-Elite OnePass members traveling on Y, H, K, N, or B (or equivalent) fares are eligible for mileage-deduct upgrades within or between the 48 contiguous U.S., Alaska and Canada.
# Effective September 1, 2006, checked baggage or sporting equipment over 70 lbs (32 kg) will not be accepted for travel. Wheelchairs and/or assistive devices for customers with disabilities are exempt from this policy.

But on clicking the link to the penalty rules, it reads as follows to start:

Rules and Restrictions
Please review the fare rules for each segment. The most restrictive set of fare rules applies to the entire itinerary.
City Pairs Fare Class Fare Basis Code
MHT - CLE O OR73ZN
CLE - MHT O OR73ZN

Fare Basis Code OR73ZN
Sales and Restrictions FARE RULES TEXT
NOTE -
TICKETS ARE NON-TRANSFERABLE. TO PURCHASE OR
RESELL THIS TICKET FROM/TO ANY ENTITY OTHER THAN
CONTINENTAL AIRLINES INC. OR ITS AUTHORIZED AGENTS
IS NOT PERMITTED. PASSENGERS WILL BE ASKED FOR
PHOTO I.D. AT TIME OF FLIGHT CHECK-IN. IF THE
NAME ON THE TICKET AND THE PASSENGERS I.D. DO NOT
MATCH THE PASSENGER WILL BE REQUIRED TO SURRENDER
THE TICKET AND PURCHASE THE APPLICABLE FARE FOR
THE DEPARTING FLIGHT.
GENERAL RULES TEXT
) NOTE -
EXTENSION OF TICKET VALIDITY PERMITTED UNDER
GUIDELINES SET FORTH BY CARRIER. CONTACT
CARRIER FOR DETAILS.
Refunds/Change FARE RULES TEXT
CANCELLATIONS
TICKET IS NON-REFUNDABLE.
NOTE -
IF ANY PART OF THE TICKET IS UNUSED IT HAS NO
VALUE UNLESS PASSENGER CANCELS TICKETED FLIGHT
RESERVATIONS PRIOR TO TICKETED DEPARTURE TIME.
CHANGES
CHARGE USD 100.00 FOR REISSUE.
..................................etc., etc..........

So is the ticket refundable or not? What if someone didn't read all the detailed rules (or lost their place reading them) and went by the text stating that it was refundable, but it turns out really not to be? Am I missing something here or is there an error somewhere?

I've never seen an "O" fare that is refundable...not to say for sure that it doesn't exist. Chances are better than not that it is not refundable.

You have to go with what the fare rule text says and not what the little blurb underneath the flight itinerary says. It is often wrong anyway :(

-RM

Maybe they try to trick you because it's legitimate as you can refund it within 24 hours as a OnePass member?

That's what I figured....too bad they can't get the blurb right because most travelers aren't going to read all the rules, and with everything in awkward all-caps and everything, it's not easy to read. I wonder, if someone purchased a ticket like this and had a printout or screen capture of the text that it was refundable, would they refund it if they needed to? They'd probably fall back on the statement in the detailed fare rules, but it is their fault for making the error.....

One of the overriding airline ticketing rules is (most often used for combining various fares) is that the most restrictive rules apply. Based on the above, I would not rely for a minute on anything that stated that the fare was refundable. Continental will let you refund tickets bought on the web site within 24 hours of purchase, but other than that I really would not count on it.

Hi UAzip, we're aware of this issue, and have added it to our master list of continental.com follow-ups in this thread. If possible, please PM me your confirmation number so that we can research this further. We'd also be happy to notate your reservation as "fully refundable," as this was clearly an error on our part.