Refunding the ticket, not the value of the ticket

I have been looking around and I see many question related to flights being cancelled due to COVID-19.

Some questions are about flights with TAP - Air Portugal, British Airways, AlItalia etc. other questions about countries: Netherlands, etc.

I have seen this question and answers:

Can I get a refund for COVID-19 related cancellations?

There is still one thing that is not clear to me.

I will write my case:

I have 3 holidays booked (from a long time ago when we did not know about COVID-19).

The origin of the flights, and my country of residence is England.

The first is to Brazil in August 2020 with TAP - Portugal
The second is to Italy in September 2020 with British Airways
The third is to India in October 2020 with British Airways

My family is me and wife, one boy 6 years old and 2 twin girls born 4-dec-2018 (less than 2 years old).

My question is about the 2 (less than 2 years old girls). I am OK to cancel any of these tickets, but the price for any airline ticket for a toddler (less than 2 years old) is WAY cheaper than the same ticket for a child (from 2 years old on).

If the airlines give me a voucher in money to buy another ticket, I will not be able to buy another family ticket with that money. If they give me instead let's take for instance the ticket to India with the British - instead of the money I paid for the ticket I want 5 ticket vouchers, each values one ticket to India to be booked in 2021 (the girls would then be 3 years old).

I would be happy then. No problem.

Question is:

How can I get a refund of the ticket not the value of the ticket?

Basically I booked 5 tickets to India, I want 5 vouchers of tickets to India, does not matter if this year I am a 2 years old and next year I will be a 3 years old and my ticket would nearly double the price - so to say.

Best Answer

As far as I am aware you can't (and it wouldn't make sense to the airline to allow that) the voucher you are being given is simply the monetary value of the ticket. (Certainly the case on BA)

If one of those seats cost you £100 for as person as an example and in future if the flight you wish to use the voucher on is triple the cost you paid so £300 for that single person, you will be paying the additional cost of £200 yourself.

These vouchers are not redeemable for the same ticket but only for the monetary value paid.

The wording from BA is: "If you would like to claim a voucher to the value of your booking, please complete the voucher form here. Vouchers can be used as payment, or part payment, for a future booking."

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Can my flight ticket money be refunded?

The answer is yes. You can get money back from airlines in case your flight gets cancelled regardless of the reason. an airline must offer you a full flight refund for all flights within the same booking. an airline must find you a replacement flight so you can reach your final destination.

What does it mean to refund a ticket?

Essentially, a refundable airline tickets let you do just that \u2013 get a refund for the ticket if you find that you no longer want to use it. These refundable tickets are also usually changeable if your travel plans require an earlier or a later flight.

Are refundable tickets fully refundable?

Refundable flights As the name suggests, refundable tickets are fully refundable, meaning you'll get the cash back (not a flight credit). To gain this convenience, you'll need to pay a premium, which makes these tickets more expensive than nonrefundable airline tickets.

How do I get a refund on my full ticket?

Steps to request for a refund

Enter PNR details. Enter your PNR/Booking reference number and Email ID/Last name.

Select 'Cancel Booking' Choose Cancel Booking option and proceed.

Choose your preferred refund method. Select from the options and click on 'Cancel Booking'.

Review your details.

More answers regarding refunding the ticket, not the value of the ticket

Answer 2

You will need to negotiate with the airline. You want vouchers that allow "Huey, Dewey and Louie" to travel to India at X time. This may actually be the way they are the vouchers, with them being unaware of the difference (but there's probably a note in the fine print like "in the same conditions of the original ticket", which per Doc answer wouldn't apply).

Airlines would usually not want to provide such voucher, since it would not be in their interest to do so. However, nowadays airlines are eager to get their passengers to accept vouchers, rather than needing to pay for all the cancellations in cash. So there is a good chance that they will agree to that, instead of needing to refund your money (specially if it's for a time when they might not expect to fill the plane). Be sure to get in writing all the relevant information, not just some verbal assurance that their age won't be a problem!

And as noted by Harper - Reinstate Monica in a comment, if the airline bankrupts you can expect your vouchers to be worthless.

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Torsten Dettlaff, Uriel Mont, Ono Kosuki, C. Cagnin