Managing Cancellations, Unused Tickets and Refunds

Cancelled Trips

Unused Ticket Credits vs. Refunds

• • Refunds are only available if the airline cancels or significantly delays the traveler’s flight.  If a traveler has an active flight with Travel Incorporated (TI) that meets this criteria, the following will occur:
    • Airline Cancels flight: Refunds will be issued automatically
    • Airline significantly delays flight:  TI will reach out to traveler to ask if they are agreeable with the new flight time, whether they want to schedule a different flight, or cancel all together.  If the traveler chooses to cancel, a refund will be requested.
  • Cancellations that do not fall within the refund guidelines noted above, the ticket will not be refunded, but the value of that unused ticket can be applied towards the same traveler’s future travel on that airline.
    • Name Changes waivers are offered in some situations – see below section

Waivers for Unused Ticket Credits

A variety of waivers are available to make it easier to reuse any unused tickets affected by the COVID crisis. The exact policies are linked within this TI Covid-19 Information Hub. Below is a summary of the waiver types:

• Exchange Penalty – Most airlines are offering change penalty waivers, which means you can change a ticket’s cities and dates without paying the typical penalty.  We find that Delta, United and American Airlines are applying these waivers automatically, so travelers can rebook in Concur without issue.  For American and other airlines, it may be best to call a consultant when ready to rebook, to ensure the waiver is applied.
• Expiration Date – Most airlines have extended the expiration dates of unused credits beyond the typical one year.  We are updating our system to ensure the accurate expiration dates are associated with these tickets.
• Name Change waivers – Unused tickets belong to the traveler only, but some airlines are offering the ability to process name changes without applying a penalty.  These waivers are mostly offered to companies with corporate agreements on those airlines.  Because these waivers are still evolving, we are still evaluating best practices on how to apply them.

What should I tell my travelers about cancellation or rebooking?  

• If your travelers have active trips:  Wait until last minute to cancel, this allows TI to continue monitoring for refund opportunities. Flights are eligible for refund if the airline cancels or significantly changes their active flight.  If this has not occured, travelers should cancel flight with a TI travel consultant, or in Concur. Do not cancel direct with the airline.  TI will retain an unused ticket credit that will be applied toward a future flight on that carrier.
• If the traveler has unused tickets:  Applicable penalty waivers on Delta, American and United will be automatically applied in Concur when they are ready to rebook.  If they have an unused credit on any other airline, they should call a consultant to rebook.

What Data should I monitor?

• Our ‘Trip Detail’ report with cancel date will provide air, car and hotel data, and will provide a segment status so you will know whether the trip is active, refunded, voided, or cancelled.
• Our ‘Open Ticket’ report will help you better monitor the unused tickets that were not able to be refunded or voided.  These are the tickets that can be reused and may be eligible for the various waivers.