How to get a refund from United Airlines?
I had a reservation on United Airlines a few weeks ago that was traveling from USA to UK. I never even made it out of the USA. The first leg of my flight was delayed and I missed the second leg as a result. I believe I'm entitled to a full refund because the delay was entirely United's fault and the time given to make the connection was too short in the first place. Any alternative flights to get me to the UK were too late to make the trip worth it, so they sent me back to my origin airport. I flew one leg, then flew back; a total waste of my time and money.
I've found United's Ticket Refund Request page, but from among the types listed, I've only found "Checked bag refund" that applies. None of the options are along the lines "reservation" or "itinerary" refund. I originally called a United support number and they incorrectly told me that I had to email refunds@united.com. That email auto-replied that it does not accept inbound messages. For now, I've just submitted a refund request on that page for the baggage fee, but included details about the other things as well.
What I want to know specifically is all the avenues available to me to contact United regarding such a refund request.
This particular reservation had a lot going on with it, so I don't think an email pipeline is going to be effective in getting refunded. The following is a description of what was paid and how, of which I want all of it refunded.
The flight was purchased with miles, plus some money. A third of the miles used were purchased just before booking the reservation with the sole intention to be that I'd have enough miles to book the reservation with miles only. I had to check two bags, which was the $100 international second bag fee. So I want United to refund me for the checked bag, the taxes and fees for the reservation, my earned miles spent on the reservation, and the money spent on the extra miles. With so much going on with this reservation, you can see how none of those options on the refund page fit.
Update:
Success! United actually refunded everything from the single "Checked bag refund" that I put in originally, as detailed above. A week later, they refunded the $100 checked bag fee. A day after that, they refunded the taxes, fees, and other charges when placing the reservation. They then contacted me via email and said they have refunded the miles back to my account, but they'd have to forward the request to refund the miles purchase to a different department. About a week later, they then refunded the miles purchase and took back the miles from my account. It was actually pretty easy on my part. I just detailed what I wanted from them and they did all of it, though it did take about two weeks.
Best Answer
Contact United Customer Relations. They'd prefer you use the contact form, but you can email CustomerCare@united.com too. Christopher Elliott has additional contacts for United and suggestions to reach a resolution of common travel problems, but you should go through the normal contact process before trying to write any executives.
Lay out everything in a polite, concise letter. I would be prepared to explain specifically why the delay was entirely their fault, as they are likely to blame weather or other circumstances outside of their control unless there's something obvious like a maintenance delay.
I'd also review their Contract of Carriage so you understand what rules apply to this situation.
Purchases of miles are strictly non-refundable, so I wouldn't spend much energy arguing that you're entitled to a cash refund for the money you spent on the miles.
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Does United have to refund me?
You don't need to take any action now \u2014 your credit has been automatically extended. If your original flight was significantly impacted by a United schedule change, you may be eligible for a refund in lieu of the credit. If you're interested in exploring this option, please visit united.com/refunds.Do you get your money back when you cancel a flight?
Cancelled Flight \u2013 A consumer is entitled to a refund if the airline cancelled a flight, regardless of the reason, and the consumer chooses not to travel.Do airlines have to refund due to Covid?
Airlines and ticket agents have a legal obligation to provide refunds to consumers if the airline cancels or significantly changes a consumer's flight. However, in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, airlines had difficulty processing the significant volume of refund requests that they received.Can I cancel my United flight without penalty?
Yes, all customers will have 24 hours from the time of their original booking to cancel their reservation without being charged a cancellation fee, regardless of fare selected, as long as the ticket was purchased a week or more before departure.How to Get a United Airlines Refund When Booking with an OTA (works for other airlines too!)
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