What to Do If Your Flight Changes or Gets Cancelled

If air travel seems a bit more complicated to you these days, you’re not alone: the current travel landscape definitely has some challenges. While it’s great that business travel is bouncing back, the simple fact is that from booking to in-flight, the experience looks a bit different than it used to. Airlines and travel vendors across the board are scrambling to staff back up in order to meet the demand. The Delta variant is causing concerns and flight schedules are constantly changing, leaving travelers with little notice that their bookings are affected.

But here’s the good news: AmTrav is here to help. Like our Relationship Manager Ann Keen says, we all need a little support. Our expert support team is always just a chat, email, or phone call away. Plus, our online booking and reporting tool a2b provides you with tools that help you take charge of your bookings. In some cases, you can even make changes to your ticket on your own. Here are some of the challenges you might face right now and how we can help solve some of those problems quickly. 

The airline cancelled my flight. What do I do and can I get my money back?

If an airline cancels your flight, most times they will rebook you on another flight for free. But if you’ve turned on the news lately or scrolled through Twitter, you know those new flights aren’t always convenient. In this case, you’re entitled to a refund. If this happens to you, reach out to one of our Travel Advisors so we can help you sort it out with the airline. Once we get your booking refunded, we can go ahead and help you rebook. 

I need to cancel my flight. Can I get my money back?

Even though most airlines are allowing changes free of charge these days, many tickets are non-refundable (don’t worry, we’ll always let you know if your ticket is non-refundable before you buy). If you know from the jump that there's a chance you’ll need to cancel your trip, it’s worth purchasing that (likely more expensive) refundable ticket. 

On some tickets you can still cancel your flight for a future travel credit. You can do this yourself under My Trips.

We recommend holding off on cancelling a flight you think it might ultimately get cancelled by the airline anyway. If you proactively cancel your booking, the airline will likely give you a travel credit for future use. But airlines typically wait until the last minute to process flight cancellations, so if you wait until the airline cancels the flight, you’re eligible for a refund in your original form of payment. 

I need to change my flights. Is it free?

Right now most airlines are not charging change fees - this includes Delta, United, American, JetBlue, and of course Southwest. But keep in mind that you might need to pay the difference in price if your new flights are more expensive. If you need help changing your flight, reach out to our support team or check out how to do it in a2b. 

The airline changed my flight time without telling me. How did that happen and how can I fix it?

It’s never been more important to reconfirm your flight at least 24 hours before departure. Right now due to all of the uncertainty around travel demand, airlines are constantly adjusting their flight schedules. They would rather have two full flights flying than four half empty ones, and they’re willing to cancel flights and bump around your flight times without letting you know. While frustrating, it’s not uncommon. But AmTrav will always let you know about any changes to your booking. 

The fastest and most reliable way to get updates on your trip is to sign up for AmTrav text alerts. This will ensure you’re the first to know if your departure time changes or your flight is delayed or canceled -- and we’ll only text you with important information, plus you can opt out at any time. You can also see any schedule changes under My Trips in your a2b dashboard.

If your flight was changed and it no longer works for you, reach out to a member of our team - we can help you rebook. Right now it’s probably not a bad idea to double (or triple) check your bookings - at minimum, we recommend reconfirming your booking at least 24 hours in advance. 

I had to cancel a flight last year, and I have an unused ticket credit to use. Can I use this credit myself online to book? 

Yes! AmTrav makes it easy for you to use your unused ticket credits. We store all of your unused ticket credits until you’re ready to use them. If you have them, they’ll appear right in the booking path on a2b. When you’re ready to actually book your flight, you'll see every available ticket for that particular booking. Once you apply the travel credit the airline will charge any remaining balance to your card or AmTrav will store any leftover credit. And if you need some assistance, you can easily chat with one of our Travel Advisors who can help you out. 

Check out the AmTrav Knowledge Base for a comprehensive how-to on using your unused tickets. 

I’m expecting a refund and it’s taking too long. How long does it take to process a flight refund?

If you cancel a flight you just booked online within 24 hours, the refund is processed on our end pretty much immediately. You can look under My Trips to see the status of your refund. It can take as little as 24 hours to return your funds to you or as much as 5-7 business days (this part is left up to your credit card company or bank).

Keep in mind that if an airline cancels a flight and you ask them for a refund, it can take up to one full billing cycle on your credit card for the refund to hit. As with most things regarding travel, patience is key here.

There’s a lot going on with the airlines right now. The uncertainty around travel and some operational instabilities are complicating things for travelers across the board. But the AmTrav team is here and ready to help. We’re steadfast in our mission to support you when and where you need it. If you have any questions or need help with your booking as you get back out on the road, let us know!