Flight refund policies explained: which popular airlines offer the most flexibility?

Flights can be one of the harder purchases to be refunded for. With tickets being so expensive and airlines wanting to ensure all their seats generate money, cancelling your flight often won't result in a refund. However, this isn't always the case. Airlines have different levels of flexibility regarding their refund policies, such as offering guaranteed refunds if you've purchased a refundable ticket or potentially offering one if you've had to cancel due to an emergency. To discover the refund policies and flexibility ranking of some of the world's most-flown airlines, continue reading this blog.

How to avoid non-refundable traps

After the disappointment of having to cancel your flights, the last thing you want is to find out that you won't be getting your money back for those wasted tickets. To lower the chances of this happening, there are a few steps you can take when booking your flights.

1. Purchase refundable/ flexible tickets — Plenty of airlines offer refundable tickets. These tend to cost a little bit extra but guarantee that if you do have to cancel, you'll still get your money back, saving you a lot in the long run.
2. Know your rights — Although some airlines state that they don't offer refunds, you may still be able to get one for certain emergency reasons. Airlines may refund you if you're too sick to travel (with proof such as a doctor's note) or if a close family member dies. Instead of accepting that you won't get your money back, contact the airline's customer service team to see if they have any special policies in place for emergencies.
3. Always read the T&Cs — One of the most important things you can do is read the fine print of the tickets you intend to purchase. Airlines are always adapting what they offer, and different cabin classes award different privileges. By reading the T&Cs of your ticket, you'll know exactly what you're entitled to, so you don't face any nasty surprises.

Popular airlines and their refund policies

The most popular airlines dominate the sky. With their sum of destinations, reliability and pricing, they've been able to cement themselves as the best airlines in the business. But how do they rank when it comes to refund flexibility?

The airlines that carry the most passengers a year are:

1. American Airlines
2. Delta Air Lines
3. Ryanair
4. United Airlines
5. Southwest Airlines
6. Lufthansa
7. Air France
8. IndiGo
9. Turkish Airlines
10. China Eastern Airlines

American Airlines

Refund availability for immediate cancellation (within 24 hours of booking): ✔️ A full refund (excluding non-refundable tax) is available for all ticket types as long as bookings were made more than 2 days before departure.

Refund availability for later cancellations (more than 24 hours after booking): ✔️/❌ This depends on the type of ticket you purchased. If you bought a refundable ticket, you will get your money back. If you purchased a non-refundable ticket, your money won't be returned to you (unless you meet specific criteria discussed below).

Refund availability for emergency reasons: ✔️ If the passenger dies before their trip, their money will be returned to their account. Equally, if an immediate family member or travel companion passes away and you cancel your flight, you will be refunded even on a non-refundable ticket. If American Airlines' schedule significantly changes, meaning you have to cancel your flight, they will return your money to you. Finally, if you're meant to be travelling internationally and you get sick, depending on the illness, you may be eligible for a refund. This is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Flight refund flexibility score: High

Delta Air Lines

Refund availability for immediate cancellation (within 24 hours of booking): ✔️ Enjoy a full refund with no additional fees if you cancel within 24 hours of purchasing a Delta ticket.

Refund availability for later cancellations (more than 24 hours after booking): ✔️ / ❌ For refundable tickets, you'll be eligible to get your money back if you have to cancel your ticket. If you don't have a non-refundable ticket, then unless you've cancelled for one of the specific reasons mentioned below, you won't be reimbursed.

Refund availability for emergency reasons: ✔️ Delta may offer you a refund on a non-refundable ticket if you fall ill and submit a doctor's note; however, a refund isn't guaranteed. They also may offer you a refund if an immediate family member's recent death prevents you from being able to fly. They may also refund non-refundable tickets if significant delays or schedule changes cause you to cancel (if their flights leave 3 hours later than the intended departure time for domestic flights and 6 for international flights).

Flight refund flexibility score: High

Ryanair

Refund availability for immediate cancellation (within 24 hours of booking): ❌ You can make amendments to your booking in the first 24 hours, such as changing the date, time or reversing the route, without paying any extra, but you can't cancel and get a refund.

Refund availability for later cancellations (more than 24 hours after booking): ❌ Ryanair tickets are usually non-refundable. However, if the airline's at fault, you may get your money back, for example, if Ryanair cancels your flight or if significant delays to departure time mean you can't travel.

Refund availability for emergency reasons: ✔️ Ryanair may offer you a refund if an immediate family member dies within 28 days of your departure date. They also may offer you a refund if a serious illness prevents you from lying. However, this is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Flight refund flexibility score: Low

United Airlines

Refund availability for immediate cancellation (within 24 hours of booking): ✔️ If you cancel your flight within 24 hours of booking and the departure date is a week or more away, you will be eligible for a full refund.

Refund availability for later cancellations (more than 24 hours after booking): ❌ In most cases, if you cancel your booking after 24 hours, United Airlines won't refund you.

Refund availability for emergency reasons: ✔️ You may be eligible for a refund if you cancel for medical reasons, if there's a death in your immediate family, or if there are significant airline delays. However, this is all reviewed on a case-by-case basis and isn't guaranteed.

Flight refund flexibility score: Average

Southwest Airlines

Refund availability for immediate cancellation (within 24 hours of booking): ✔️ If you cancel within 24 hours, you can either choose to receive a refund back into your account or have the money put into flight credit to purchase a later flight.

Refund availability for later cancellations (more than 24 hours after booking): ✔️ / ❌ If you purchased a Business Select® or Anytime ticket, you have until 10 minutes before departure to cancel and still be refunded. For any other ticket type, you won't receive a refund unless significant delays caused by the airline prevent you from being able to fly.

Refund availability for emergency reasons: ❌ Southwest doesn't offer refunds even if you cancel due to an emergency.

Flight refund flexibility score: Average

Lufthansa

Refund availability for immediate cancellation (within 24 hours of booking): ✔️ Most of the time, if you cancel your Lufthansa flight within 24 hours of booking, you'll get a refund. However, this only applies if the departure date is a week or more away.

Refund availability for later cancellations (more than 24 hours after booking): ✔️/ ❌ This depends on your fare type. If you purchase a Flex Fare ticket, you will be eligible for a full refund. If you don't have this ticket type and you cancel, you most likely won't get your money back.

Refund availability for emergency reasons: ✔️ You may be entitled to a refund if you cancel because of sickness or a close family death. However, this isn't guaranteed.

Flight refund flexibility score: High

Air France

Refund availability for immediate cancellation (within 24 hours of booking): ✔️ As long as the departure date is more than a week away, you can cancel your Air France tickets and still be refunded.

Refund availability for later cancellations (more than 24 hours after booking): ✔️ / ❌ You can request a refund, but wherever it's given to you will depend on your fare conditions and reason for cancelling. Most of the time, if you request a refund from Air France, you'll be given flight credits rather than the money returned to your account.

Refund availability for emergency reasons: ✔️ You may be given a refund if you fall ill or you're mourning the death of a loved one. However, this depends on your illness and the time you give to inform the airline.

Flight refund flexibility score: High

IndiGo

Refund availability for immediate cancellation (within 24 hours of booking): ✔️ Passengers can receive a refund if they cancel their flight within 24 hours of booking as long as the departure date is more than a week away.

Refund availability for later cancellations (more than 24 hours after booking): ✔️ / ❌ You may be eligible for a refund depending on the fare type and the amount of notice you give. These factors also influence the amount refunded and any cancellation fees.

Refund availability for emergency reasons: ✔️ /❌ IndiGo may refund you if there's a close family death, but they are unlikely to refund you for any other emergency such as sickness.

Flight refund flexibility score: Average

Turkish Airlines

Refund availability for immediate cancellation (within 24 hours of booking): ✔️/❌ Depending on the route, you may be entitled to a refund if you cancel within 24 hours of booking and your flight isn't for at least a week.

Refund availability for later cancellations (more than 24 hours after booking): ✔️/❌ Whether you're eligible for a refund depends on the fare type you purchased.

Refund availability for emergency reasons: ✔️/❌ This depends on the emergency. If you cancel because of bereavement, you may receive a refund. However, if you cancel due to sickness, you are unlikely to get one.

Flight refund flexibility score: Average

China Eastern Airlines

Refund availability for immediate cancellation (within 24 hours of booking): ✔️/❌ This depends on the route you're travelling to. If you're flying to or from the USA or Korea, then you will be eligible for a full refund as long as the flight is more than a week away.

Refund availability for later cancellations (more than 24 hours after booking): ✔️/❌ This depends on the ticket you selected and the amount of notice you give the airline.

Refund availability for emergency reasons: ✔️ You will be refunded if you are too sick to fly and provide a certificate of diagnosis and a medical note. You may also get a refund if a loved one close to you passes away.

Flight refund flexibility score: High

Alternative Airlines' refund flexibility

The rules mentioned above apply if you purchase a ticket directly from the airline rather than a third party, like Alternative Airlines.

However, if you choose to book with us, you can rest assured that you'll receive a refund if an emergency forces you to cancel your flights.

By purchasing one of our refundable tickets or by adding our cancellation protection at checkout, you won't have to worry about unforeseen circumstances impacting your finances again!

Emergencies you can be refunded for with Alternative Airlines:

• Illnesses
• Pre-existing medical conditions
• Pregnancy complications
• Death of an immediate family member
• Flight disruption
• Jury service
• Workplace redundancy
• + Many more
  
  

At Alternative Airlines, you can book with any of the airlines we mentioned, plus 600 more! Even if the airline you choose doesn't tend to offer refunds, as long as you add Alternative Airlines' cancellation protection, you'll still be refunded!

Our goal is to make travel as accessible as possible. That's why we offer over 40 payment methods at checkout, including Crypto and Buy Now Pay Later. Travel how and when you want. (Not all cryptocurrencies will allow for refunds).

Want to learn more about Alternative Airlines? Check out our homepage or read some of our reviews. We're a 4.9-star company on Trustpilot!