Possibility of a Refund on a Norefundable Ticket
 

I purchased a nonrefundable ticket from BNA to GZ China, and was compelled by my managing partner to cancel the trip for reasons related to the rapid deterioration of one of my key accounts due to engineering failings.
I have been denied by Martha Deal, the 'Refund Solutions Specialist'.

A few notes:

I booked the flight using my AMX.
I rarely fly Delta.
I believe $300.00 'transfer fee' to book another flight in the future is unreasonable.

Any ideas?

Thanks.
John

You can always wait until day of departure to cancel the ticket to see if the flight is delayed significantly or canceled. If it is,you're entitled to a full refund. If it isn't, then you're going to have to pay the $300 penalty to get a voucher for a future flight. Depending on when the trip is, there's also the possibility of a schedule change between now and then. One that is greater than 90 minutes would allow the option for a full refund.

It's going to cost you the $300 unless the flight time is changed substantially or the flight gets cancelled, in which case you can get a full refund.

other aspects of schedule changes that can open a refund window:
(1) change of operating carrier on any segment (e.g., mainline to Delta Connection, or one Delta Connection operator to a different one)
(2) schedule change of less than 90 minutes that results in an illegal connection ... note that, in some cases, you may be able to successfully lobby for refund even if the connection is technically legal but less than comfortable (e.g., 45 min at JFK on a summer afternoon)

The easier answer for a first time poster.

NO

Be happy and smile now that you have money in your Delta wallet that you can use for a business trip while you may sure your company reimburses you.

The time for reflection upon details of fare rules is before the purchase, not after.

You have been given the highlights found in the Contract of Carriage that would get you a refund to original form of payment without a fee. Change of business conditions is your firm's problem, not Delta's.

Sorry to pile on, but, when you purchased the ticket, whether or not you realized it, you agreed to this condition, so, now is a little too late to say that you feel it's unreasonable.

Welcome to FlyerTalk Delta Forum!

Edited to add . . . .

There ARE fares that don't have this penalty, but, they are usually substantially higher, although you don't mention the cost of your ticket, or whether it's coach or biz class.

All true, and thank you for your excellent replies and upbraiding.

Simple to see the error of my choice today, but my being required to cancel was unforeseen. Never dreamed I would be prevented from going by my job.

Has anyone had any luck disputing the charges with American Express to recoup the money?

THIS!

There are refundable fares that could have been purchased.

What would be the reason for the dispute? All the airline would have to do is point out to AMEX that you booked a non-refundable ticket and they followed the fare rules of your ticket.

Depending on your work relationship etc. you might inquire whether they will let you expense/reimburse the $300 change fee.

This. ^

That's about the only option left, unless you have the Amex Platinum card (not the Delta branded one) which will pay $200 of airline fees per years.

David

Why do I get the feeling we're trying to be riled up by a troll? :confused:

And correctly point out that the OP checked the "I agree to the terms and conditions" box when booking said ticket.

Aww, a troll...nope, a real human asking an honest question.

I did purchase a nonrefundable ticket, and it appears that I will have to suffer the terms I agreed to. I was hoping for leniency...it's not as though Delta Airlines actually spent any real cash as a result of my purchasing, then cancelling the ticket.
Begs the question as to why all tickets can't be refundable and affordable at the same time. I haven't thought about that much because I f]ly SWA, and it's never a concern.

Thanks for everyone's input!

Here's why "all tickets can't be refundable and affordable at the same time."

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/breakage.asp

"Breakage" IS income to the airline, just as purchased fares are income.