Changing non-refundable to refundable ticket -- possible
 

Dear all,

I have a rather tricky question --

I have a RT F ticket (non-refundable) from LGA to HNL this weekend and for some reasons, I have to cancel this trip.

For those who read the discontinuation of discounted F ticket to Hawaii, my ticket was bought before it, so the fare remained at $1400RT, but now the fare was raised to $1800... I will have to pay $400 + $100 change fee...

Well I am thinking that since the full refundable (YUP fare) is only $2300... maybe I will just pay the extra money (since no need to pay exchange fee for refundable ticket), and then have the option to refund it in the near or far future, if this trip is not going to happen at all.

What do you think? Is chaning N/RF ticket into RF ticket legal in the first place? And then refund it... will that be okay?

Any comments!

Thanks,
Carfield

What you suggest in the way of using the ticket for a Y fare is possible. However bear in mind the ORIGINAL non refundable piece - The $1400 remains non refundable.

I have "non refundable" F tickets next week for Maui routing through SEA...I tried REAL HARD to switch routing through HNL...At one time there was F seats available (for change fees and $ fare increase that I was willing to pay) BUT those seats would have been "refundable" so they couldn't do the exchange...The way it was explained to me they couldn't (or didn't want to) "track" the original "non refundable" portion on the new "refundable" ticket so I could not change to the DC-10 Comfortable flights!

I'm not sure if this is close to your situation, but it made no sense to me.

my experience is that a non-refundable fare can only be exchanged for another non-refundable fare. as was stated above, it is too difficult to track the "non-refundable" portion on a refundable fare. a refundable fare is that -- refundable -- and you are on a non-refundable fare. i dont think they would allow you to do the exchange you want.

I've never had a problem going non-refundable to refundable. Normally they just mark the ticket with the amount that will be not be refundable. I think in the endorsement/restriction box if I remember. (It has been about a year since I had to do one of these)

All I can tell you is that the platinum elite representative wouldn't do it for me...maybe I should have used the "call back" method.

This can be done and is noted in NW's fare rules. I've seen it (and done it) many times. You will see a notation in the endorsements box stating what portion remains non-refundable.

This can only be done with TATL or TPAC fares, for North American fares a non refundable fare can only be applied towards another wholly non refundable fare, or a partially non refundable fare where the new non refundable portion is equal to or higher than the original non refundable fare.


As to non ref first fares to HI, try going into OGG most markets that had them to HNL now just have them to OGG

and they will charge the change fee ($100 is what you said, yes?) to upgrade the ticket from discounted F to full Y.