Is there any personal benefit in formally cancelling a (non-refundable) flight?
I'm currently in Tenerife and have a return flight booked for 20 May.
I have decided to stay out here a bit longer and purchased a single ticket back to the UK for 25 May on another airline.
The ticket was clearly advertised as non-refundable, so I'm not expecting any money back from cancelling it. Is there any benefit to me of cancelling the first ticket as opposed to simply not turning up?
In case it makes any difference, Thomson Airways is the specific airline the first ticket was booked with. It looks as though to cancel it formally, I would need to phone a UK number at my own expense, as this is not something they provide an online facility for.
Best Answer
You might also see a benefit in getting the refund of the airport taxes that are included in your ticket fare and are only due by the issuing airline if you actually go into the plane.
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Can I cancel a non-refundable flight?
The United States Department of Transportation requires that, as long as you've booked a non-refundable ticket seven days ahead of your flight, you're entitled to hold your reservation and the fare and change or cancel your reservation within 24 hours of booking without paying a cancellation fee (typically $200 on ...What happens to a non-refundable flight?
Non-refundable tickets: You can reschedule the ticket and you have one year from the ticket's original issue date to reschedule. The traveler will not lose the value of the ticket. In order to get full refund, must have an exception: The death of the passenger, immediate family member, or traveling companion.Are airlines reimbursing for Cancelled flights?
The airline is required to compensate you for a canceled flight if you were notified less than 14 days before your original scheduled departure date. However, compensation is not required if the airline proves that extraordinary circumstances (e.g., weather) caused the cancellation.Is it better to cancel a flight or just not show up?
If you know you can't make a scheduled flight, it's better to cancel your flight rather than be a no-show. If you cancel, you might receive a partial or whole credit for the fare purchased, to be applied to a future flight.Getting a Refund on Nonrefundable Airfare
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Answer 2
You get the personal pleasure of knowing you may help someone else that just needed that seat, and will be able to get it because the company now knows it is free. Assuming the phone call is not too expensive, nor too time consuming, that's reason enough.
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