Is it possible to return a return plane ticket? Is it possible to return air tickets purchased online? What can you count on

Especially if you often fly for work. The only downside to such a purchase is the risk of changing your plans.

In force majeure circumstances, people, as a rule, are not able to act calmly and consistently. Therefore, it is better to prepare in advance for such a situation as a refund of plane tickets.

The need to return a ticket may arise for two reasons:

  1. Forced return which occurs due to the fault of the air carrier.
  2. Voluntary return, the culprit of which is the passenger.

In the case of a forced return, everything is much simpler. Airlines always have no problem compensating for any inconvenience caused to customers.

Forced return

Reasons for forced refund of air tickets include:

  • flight cancellation or rescheduling, as well as long delay;
  • impossibility of connecting flights if you are flying with transfers;
  • the planned landing location has changed at the point of arrival;
  • being late for a flight due to a lengthy security check, but no prohibited items were found;
  • refusal to issue a visa;
  • an employee of the company made mistakes when issuing an air ticket;
  • the seat indicated on the ticket was not provided;
  • death or serious illness of the passenger himself or a member of his family.

In the above cases, you have the right to receive back the entire amount spent on the purchase of the air ticket. But to do this, you need to have documents confirming that the return is actually made for forced reasons.

In case of forced return, the airlines will provide you with full compensation

In the event of a flight cancellation or long delay, you should:

  1. Contact the registration service, or your airline representative if the delay or cancellation occurred before check-in. There you must confirm the reason using a mark on the ticket, which must be certified by the company’s seal.
  2. Pick up your flight coupon, if you learned about the delay or cancellation of the flight after completing the check-in procedure for the flight. This is necessary because tickets will be considered used if there is no coupon.

Only if these conditions are met can you count on full monetary compensation.

Voluntary return

In this situation, it is especially important to know your rights, since with a voluntary return, carriers are not so willing to cooperate.

Air ticket refund rules are reflected in Art. 108 Air Code of the Russian Federation, according to which the passenger has the right to refuse a flight if he notifies the carrier in advance.

In this case, you have the right to receive financial compensation, the amount of which depends on the time of notification of the refusal.

Try to notify the airline immediately if circumstances force you to surrender your ticket

Important! If you notify the company one day before the flight, then you are entitled to a 100% refund of the air ticket price. If there is less than one day left before the flight, the company has the right to collect a fine from the passenger for financial losses caused, which, however, should not exceed 25% of the ticket price.

Non-refundable air tickets

The non-refundability rule applies, for example, to, since tickets for them have reduced prices.

In 2014, the Federation Council of the Russian Federation approved a law on non-refundable air tickets, according to which airlines have the right to sell such tickets to passengers, provided that their number does not exceed 30% of the total amount per flight. This implies that these should be the cheapest tickets, the cost of which is reduced by 15-20% .

How does the choice of fare affect ticket refunds?

The refund conditions for air tickets are strongly tied to their fare. Existing tariff plans can be divided into the following categories:

  1. Business Class. It is quite easy to return air tickets, however, you will still have to pay a fine for them.
  2. Premium class. Such tickets are refunded 100% of the cost, even in case of no-show for the flight. This is understandable; losses from such situations are already included in the considerable cost of the air ticket.
  3. Economy class. If passengers of this class refuse to fly, companies lose a decent part of their profits, so they are always reluctant to refund tickets.

Important! The lower the cost of tickets, the more difficult it is to return them and receive compensation for them.

When purchasing a ticket, immediately clarify the conditions for its return

Refund of economy class tickets

Each airline has its own conditions under which compensation for returned air tickets occurs. You need to check them with the employee at the ticket office when purchasing a ticket, and they are usually listed on the carrier’s official website.

It is important to find out immediately whether your ticket is non-refundable. If you buy air tickets at special discounted rates, then it will probably be impossible to return them.

For tickets sold without a promotion, the following standard conditions most often apply:

  1. Full reimbursement of expenses provided for flights within the Russian Federation and notification of the carrier more than 24 hours in advance.
  2. Fine of 25% of the ticket price charged when flying within the Russian Federation and notifying the carrier less than 24 hours in advance. The same penalty will have to be paid when returning a ticket for an international flight with less than 24 hours notice.
  3. Fine of 10% of the ticket price is withheld when returning an international flight ticket with more than 24 hours notice.

Money is usually returned in the same way it was paid. This can be cash, transfer to a bank account or card, payment to an electronic wallet. As in the situation with a forced return, there must be a corresponding mark on the air ticket form.

If you cancel your flight, you need to contact the same place where you purchased the ticket - the airline ticket office or travel agency. If at this moment you are in another city or country, a request to cancel the flight can be made online by sending an email to the company.

How to return an e-ticket

If you are an air carrier, then cash compensation is also carried out through it. Let's look at the example of a specific airline.

Before returning an e-ticket to Ural Airlines, the refund must be issued in your personal account on the company’s website. This assumes that you bought it on the official website.

To make a refund, you need to go to the subsection " Checking your order", find and open your order, click on the word " Return" at the bottom of the page, and then to the word " Confirm».

Important! When you click on " Return» you will no longer have the opportunity to cancel your action.

Cancellation of a seat on a flight by telephone

To receive a refund, you will need to write a statement, which must indicate your Full name, passport details and air ticket number. The application is written in free form and sent by email to the airline.

After completing the return procedure, you should receive a confirmation of the transaction by email indicating the exact amount of the refund. Air tickets are refunded within one day.

Returning a ticket through an agency

An e-ticket can also be refunded if it was purchased through an agency. For this fill out a form on its website and attach a scan of your passport to it. It is important to know the status of your ticket and whether a refund procedure is possible for it.

This should be noted in the “Restriction” column. If the description is in English, then the phrase “non refundable” will mean that the ticket is . Another important point - agency fees are non-refundable.

Air tickets purchased through aggregators

It is very popular and profitable to purchase air tickets through aggregators. They are specialized websites through which you can purchase tickets for any airline to all destinations. It is with their help that you can easily find the best flight option in terms of price and quality.

But aggregators do not issue tickets themselves, so if you need to cancel a flight, you should not contact the administration of this site, but directly the air carrier. After booking your order, you receive a letter from the site with a description of the route, which should also include the airline’s contact information. You need to apply for a refund based on them.

Air ticket exchange

It is impossible not to mention the exchange of air tickets. It doesn’t matter whether it’s an electronic ticket or a paper one purchased at the box office, you can exchange them under conditions similar to those for a refund.

Important! If you wish to reschedule your flight to another date, you must notify the carrier as soon as possible. The time and date of your flight determine whether you will have to pay extra for the exchange.

Each airline has its own tariffs for this situation. Therefore, carefully study the conditions, because in some cases it is more profitable to return the air ticket completely than to reissue it.

Knowing the rules for returning plane tickets established by the legislation of the Russian Federation, you can always defend your rights and negotiate with the airline on terms that are favorable to you.

We will describe how to return an electronic plane ticket purchased via the Internet. After all, today shopping through the World Wide Web has become a very common practice. This saves us time, effort, and sometimes money. On various websites and portals you can find very advantageous offers when searching for a suitable tour or flight.


But sometimes our plans change. Every day, hundreds of people return their purchased tickets, as life makes its own adjustments and they have to cancel their desired trip or reschedule it for another time. What to do with an electronic document?

Types of air tickets

Many factors influence whether you can return your plane ticket to the ticket office and get your money back. One of the main ones is the variety and the conditions under which it was purchased. So, airlines provide two main options:

  • Returnable - those that suggest the ability to exchange or return to the cashier. Often you have to pay a fine, but the fact remains the same - if you change plans, you can compensate for monetary losses in full or in part.
  • Non-refundable – are not subject to compensation in any amount, which is initially stipulated in the terms of their purchase. Such tickets must be marked “Non Ref” or any other mark, indicating that the document cannot be exchanged back for money.

Although even in the second case there are some exceptions. For example, if some misfortune occurs, a passenger gets sick or a relative dies, then upon provision of supporting documents, the airline undertakes to return part of the amount for the purchased ticket. A similar situation arises when a flight is canceled due to the fault of the airline.

It is important to read all terms and conditions that affect returns or changes before making a payment. Often, travel documents that cannot be returned are sold by low-cost airlines or as part of promotions, with discounts and bonuses.

You should also take into account the type of ticket purchased - economy class, business class, regular, children, etc. And although each company has its own rules regarding the return of any travel documents, such a pattern is still observed. The more expensive it is, the fewer problems there are and the lower the penalties for exchanging or returning it. For example, it will be difficult to return an economy class Aeroflot plane ticket.

When making a return, various airlines impose penalties. Therefore, the final payment amount will always be less than the full cost of the paid ticket. You need to calculate how much money you are losing in each option in order to make a better decision.

Return time

A lot will also depend on how many days before the flight you check out your ticket. Carriers have their own rules in this regard, but there are still general patterns:

  1. If there are one or more days left before departure, then the company is obliged to refund the full cost of the purchased ticket. In some cases, the fine specified in the conditions is deducted from the total amount.
  2. If you return a document on the last day, when there are less than 24 hours left before the flight, you will be required to pay only 75% of the full cost. And depending on the type of document, various commissions may be envisaged.
  3. If you try to return a ticket in a few hours, it is much more difficult to get money, and penalties increase significantly. Sometimes it makes sense to exchange your travel document for a different departure time. The same applies to the situation if you are late for a flight for objective reasons.

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Who should I contact?

If you purchased a ticket at the box office, then return it in the same way. But what to do in case of online purchase? Then you should contact exactly the service through which the payment was made. It could be:

Detailed Procedure

When trying to return a ticket through a regular ticket office, you just need to present it and your own documents confirming your identity. What needs to be done to return the amount spent through the company’s website? This procedure is no more complicated than the purchase itself and takes a little time.

  1. Go to the official portal of the company from which you purchased your plane ticket. Find the section or special form where you should fill out an application to return the document and money.
  2. Here they are often asked to add a photo of the passenger, a scanned copy of their passport and be sure to indicate their contacts.
  3. It is important to enter all the required data in each box - flight number, ticket number, date and time of departure. Double-check the symbols several times, as any errors will lead to the cancellation of the application and you will have to write a second one.
  4. If a ticket is forced to be returned due to the fault of the airline or in the event of force majeure, you must also send documents confirming the death of a relative, illness of a passenger, or cancellation of the flight for objective reasons.
  5. Don't forget to indicate the method of refund and all required details.

If for some reason the carrier does not return the money for the return ticket, you need to go to court with the same package of documents and file a corresponding claim.

When can I expect payment?

Depending on the circumstances, the chosen transfer method and the company’s rules, this period varies. Today any of the suitable options are available:

  • cash – you need to go to the cashier to get it;
  • electronic money - then be sure to write the name of the system and wallet number;
  • to a current account or bank card - all details must be provided.

This procedure can take from a week to three months. Each airline handles these issues differently. Sometimes it is possible to pay a slightly higher commission, but get the money back quickly. Then they are returned within a few hours or days.

If you decide to return the ticket, but still want to travel, then it makes sense to exchange for another departure time, which will be much cheaper and faster.

Video: refund of electronic air tickets.

When purchasing airline tickets online, especially for the first time, take your time. It is better to follow these recommendations:

  1. Carefully read all the airline's rules and remember the conditions under which you purchase a travel document.
  2. Consider the class, cost, direction and other features of the ticket. For example, business class provides not only more comfortable seats and meals on the plane, but also a simple return or exchange procedure, the availability of changes, no fines, etc.
  3. If any nuances are unclear to you, it is better to check with an online consultant or by phone for anything that seems doubtful.

When it is noticeable that the operator is dodging questions, does not give clear answers, or the resource has many negative reviews, it is better to find another, more reliable one.

How to restore an electronic plane ticket?

How to restore an electronic plane ticket if it is lost is not established by regulations. This is done according to the rules defined by the carrier. We'll tell you when and how the ticket is restored.

How to issue an electronic plane ticket?

Buying a ticket solves 2 problems:

  • the conclusion of an agreement between the carrier and the passenger is confirmed,
  • a seat is reserved for a specific flight.

Electronic plane tickets were put into circulation in 2007 (clause 50 of the Federal Aviation Regulations, approved by order of the Ministry of Transport of Russia dated July 28, 2007 No. 82). You can arrange it on the official website of the airline or an intermediary website that offers different flight options in the following order.

  1. In the drop-down form, enter information about the desired flight: departure date, route, number of passengers, their age.
  2. If the search for a ticket is carried out on an intermediary website, then an airline suitable for the user is selected.
  3. After this, a seat on the plane is reserved. The passenger enters information about himself, his passport data, and email address.
  4. Then payment for the issued ticket occurs online.
  5. The passenger receives an itinerary receipt by email, which he needs to print.

There is no need to print out the ticket itself - all information about the passenger is stored in the carrier’s database.

Can I exchange or return an e-ticket?

The procedure for returning or exchanging an electronic ticket is established by the carrier.

You can find out more about the ticket exchange procedure in our article “How to change an electronic ticket for a train or plane”. Here we note some features of ticket return:

  1. Termination of the contract of carriage is possible at the initiative of both the carrier and the passenger.
  2. The grounds for unilateral termination of the contract by the carrier are specified in paragraph 1 of Art. 107 of the Air Code of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as the Air Code of the Russian Federation): for example, violation by a passenger of passport, sanitary and other rules, refusal to pay for the carriage of baggage exceeding the weight limit, etc.
  3. The consequences of a passenger’s refusal to accept the contract of carriage are specified in Art. 108 VK RF. No special grounds for refusal are required.
  4. The passenger has the right to return money for a ticket by special agreement with the carrier (in fact, after purchasing a ticket for which the carrier provides such a right).
  5. Without the agreement specified in clause 4, the money is returned if the passenger’s health condition requires special conditions for the flight, there is a threat to its deterioration or safety, if the passenger refused the flight due to his illness or the illness of a loved one traveling with him, or the death of a family member/relative .

Ticket refunds are carried out through the airline's ticket office or via the Internet - this remains at the discretion of the carrier.

The carrier also decides in what amount to collect a penalty for returning the ticket (but not more than 25% of the cost of the combined price of transportation and the carrier’s expenses under the terminated contract of transportation).

How to restore an electronic ticket?

The issue of restoring an electronic ticket has recently become irrelevant.

In order to reimburse an employee’s expenses for purchasing an electronic ticket for the purpose of going on a business trip or returning from it, documents confirming the expenses must be presented to the company’s accounting department.

According to the letter of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation dated 02/05/2010 No. 03-0303-18, these are:

  • documents confirming the costs of purchasing an air ticket: a bank certificate confirming the completion of a monetary transaction, checks and other strict reporting forms,
  • documents confirming the fact of transportation: itinerary receipt and boarding pass.

The same letter states that in case of loss of travel documents, a copy of the ticket or a certificate from the carrier confirming the person’s travel can be provided to the company’s accounting department.

Later, in letter dated September 21, 2011 No. 03-03-07/33, the Ministry of Finance indicated that the documents justifying the expenses are:

  • route receipt;
  • boarding pass.

If your boarding pass is lost, a certificate containing information confirming your trip is acceptable.

The letter does not say anything about the ticket, so there is no need to provide it to the accounting department. In addition, according to clause 70 of the Federal Aviation Regulations, approved. By order of the Ministry of Transport of Russia dated June 28, 2007 No. 82, the loss of a ticket does not affect the validity of the contract of carriage.

Thus, there is no need to restore a lost ticket.

So, an electronic plane ticket, which came into use in 2007, can be issued on the airline’s official website or through an intermediary website. It is not always possible to exchange and return an electronic ticket. The procedure and conditions for carrying out these operations are established by the air carrier.

So, you have an electronic air ticket in your hands that you want to return, you have never issued a refund before and now you have a question about how this can be done, preferably with minimal, and if possible, without any financial losses. .

It is carried out according to the same procedure as the return of a paper air ticket. But one thing you need to check before returning is whether your e-ticket can be refunded. Look to see if there are “NON REF” marks on your airline ticket. This mark means that your air ticket is non-refundable and you will not get your money back. If this mark exists, it is located in the “Restrictions” column. Conditions regarding exchange and return can be found on the airline's website in the section on purchasing air tickets. Each airline has its own refund policies in accordance with the current legislation of the country where it is located.

Basically, the return conditions are the same; the more expensive the ticket you buy, the easier it is to return it and the more money you will receive upon return. And if a ticket is purchased at a special fare with restrictions, or at a promotion (sale, special offer) or at the cheapest fare, then it can only be exchanged for a ticket for another flight. But there are significant differences, for example: e-ticket refund from Air Berlin (Air Berlin) is possible only on the day of booking; on subsequent days the e-ticket cannot be returned.

Please note that if there is less time left before departure, the higher the airline commission will be and the less money you will receive in the end

More than 1 day before departure, the full cost of the ticket is refunded, excluding fines and fees and commissions of the payment system, provided that it is included in the price of the ticket.

Less than 1 day before departure, the refund amount is 75% of the cost of the air ticket minus fines, fees, and payment system commissions

A request for an urgent refund must be sent at least 4 hours before check-in for the flight. Once registration begins, increased penalties for returning an electronic ticket begin to apply.

All the conditions and rules for returning an electronic air ticket have been met, but who will return the money, and who should I contact?

And you need to go to where you bought the ticket, i.e. if you bought a ticket through an airline, then you need to contact the airline, if you bought it through a travel agency, then contact this travel agency, if through a ticket office, then you need to contact the ticket office for a refund, etc. To process a refund of e-tickets, you must have your reservation number, flight number, ticket number, departure date and time ready. All this data is taken from the letter that is received at your email address after you have paid for the air ticket.

1 To return an air ticket, you need to fill out an electronic form for the return of an electronic air ticket, make a scan of the passport on which this electronic air ticket was issued and use a special form on the website to send this set, or send it by simple e-mail to the e-mail of the travel agency where you issued the e-ticket.

2 You can issue a refund of an electronic air ticket directly at the agency itself, at your place of residence, in which case if the agency through which you issued the air ticket has a representative office in your city

3 If the e-ticket was purchased through a travel agency, then the refund must be made exclusively through it

Notification of cancellation of air transportation can only be accepted from the passenger indicated on the air ticket, or from a person authorized by this passenger. But in this case, a notarized power of attorney will be required.

When will I get my money back for my e-ticket?

The time frame within which funds will be returned depends on the method of payment, the method of refund and the deadline for filing a refund application. Below are the ways to get your money back for canceling an e-ticket.

- refund to bank account
- to an electronic wallet
- to a bank card
- cash

To return funds to your bank account you need:
1 Full name or full name of the payee
2 Taxpayer identification number
3 Current account
4 Bank name
5 Bank identification code
6 Correspondent account

To return to an e-wallet
1 Full name of the sender of the payment
2 Type of payment system (Webmoney, RBK Money, LiqPay, Yandex money, etc.)
3 Electronic wallet number

To return to a bank card
1 order number

Remember: As soon as you confirm your consent to the return, the seats reserved for transportation will be automatically canceled by the reservation system on all unused sections of the route. This action does not have retroactive effect.

And finally, the most important rule to remember when refund of electronic air ticket– the sooner you issue an electronic ticket refund, the greater the chances of avoiding financial losses