DocTravel

I could not find anything in regards to this so hope there are not many issues of this nature out there.

My friend has an upcoming paid rt ticket to China on UA all paid and booked some 11 months out. They even have the 4 GPUs applied with some luck in advance.

Suddenly she flips out and they are filing for a divorce in a matter of the past month. Since they still do not fly for 9 months, what are the options to get a refund or cancel?

UA says he can only change his ticket and the other one is hers to do with what she would please. He still seems to have the abilty to adjust the ticket.

Are there any smart options for a refund of hers or both?
Perhaps a credit he can use for hers or both?

I was of little help to him so thought the experts here would know lots more.

Thanks in advance for any insight.

LaserSailor

The divorce has no bearing on the fare rules. Financially, an airline ticket is small change in this scenario.

PHLyer82

If he purchased the tickets then he should be able to make any changes he wants within the fare rules. Let's say you paid 1000 for each ticket. You would have 1000-change fee for each person to use within a year of your purchase date. Unless the fare rules say you can refund for free or at a cost then refunding will not be an option.

STEPHANKOENIG

If that were my GPUs I would at least try to pull hers off.

However I would stay very calm. Maybe she recovers.

DocTravel

They paid $4,000 for the 2 tickets and it seems if a change is made no fee if it is still a China route but $150 each if in the USA. Hope that makes some sense. He was looking just to fly just his or refund both in a Trav Cert as a last resort. I am not sure if they are possible. Thanks.

LaserSailor

Doc....they really have to read the fare rules carefully. In the world of air travel, usually the route is locked in..that is, you can't change A to B into a ticket A to C unless its a refundable fare. If they aren't frequent travelers thy might not understand this. You should be able to recover the GPUs easily.

StayUnited

He should cancel his ticket but not hers. Make her fly - that'll teach her

channa

Not true. If you pay the change fee, you can change to anything you want. Domestic to Intl. Intl to domestic. It doesn't matter.

There are a few strategies you can use in this situation.

If the ticket value is $2,000 with a $150 change fee, take her ticket, apply it to the cheapest ticket you can (say about $50), and pay the change fee ($150), and you'll be left with a $1,950 voucher in her name. That voucher will be issued in her name but can be used for anyone.

There are several threads on this strategy.

Just double check the fare rules. $150 change fee seems low for this type of itin. It may be closer to $250 - $400.

Penguinmoon

I really wish I was on FT when this happened to me. In Jan of 2000, bought KOA-SFO ( I remember, it was going to be my first time on a 777) for March flight for partner and I. We broke up shortly after that. Called to cancel tickets, and even though I had purchased, the ticket belonged to him.

Wrote UA a nice letter, asking if anything they could do. They actually wrote me back, and said the ticket in his name had already been used. Come to find out, my ex had used the ticket that I bought him, to go to our storage unit in San Fran (we had stored EVERYTHING, before committing to living in Hawaii and paying for shipping) and take everything, and DESTROY what he didn't want.

You could have saved me a lot of heartahce FT

aacharya

OP - tell your friend to do this eventually:

1. Remove the GPUs, so that they can be re-used/traded.
2. Do not cancel the flight now - and hope for an itinerary change.
3. If a change comes, ask for UA credit, not a refund (as a refund means
more in a bank account). If the credit will be split amongst passengers,
get a refund, but then buy an equal amount in UA "credit".

That way the cost of the flights is not factored in to the divorce $$ - unless it is an exceedingly crafty/detailed divorice lawyer.

djjj

He should really check with his attorney to see if would be violating any court rules, etc by doing anything with the spouse's ticket.

SFO777

If the guy could find and date some one with the same name, then keep the ticket as is. If not, would definitely remove the upgrade and stick her in a middle Y seat, next to the lav.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

Almost right. Usually, the value paid ($1000, in this example) remains. To use it, the change fee is paid in NEW money. International could be $250+.

raehl311

Do you live in a community property state? If so, half of your GPUs might be hers anyway.

clublounger

I'd like to hear HER side of the story, especially considering the vindictive comments aimed at her in several responses.

Keep in mind, they were married when the tickets were purchased, so I don't believe "he bought" the tickets means "he paid for" the tickets. They were/are married!

Also, isn't it a $250 change fee on international tickets?