New Policy: United Airlines Will Refund You In A Year For Your Canceled Flight

United's dishonesty baffles me. I was given a travel voucher after I cancelled my one way flight from Paris to LA due to covid-19 disruptions. When I tried to reschedule, this is what happened: I first checked and selected a flight but since there was no option to apply my voucher at check-out (like you do with Southwest, for ex.) I went to my account, looked for my voucher and started a reservation from there. To my surprise I discovered that for the same exact flight, same day, same time, United was now adding $$$ to the amount of the voucher, making the same flight double the price! Same flight exactly! This is so dishonest. I don't know about other airlines but I have traveled with Southwest several times (locally in the US) and Southwest doesn't have this shitty, dishosnest practice! If you have a voucher for a given amount and you find a flight for the same amount, you just apply the voucher at check-out, period! If the new flight is less expensive, then you keep the difference as credit for a future flight. Per Southwest guidelines: "When checking out, under the payment method section there's a blue link for Southwest gift card, Travel Funds, or Southwest LUV Voucher. If you click that then select the Southwest LUV Voucher tab you can enter the voucher number and security code." That's all! Simple and 100% honest! What's wrong with you United, trying to take advantage of the Covid tragedy!!!

Lucky

I have a round trip non stop ticket with united from LHR to IAH i travelled from london in march when we arrived at heathrow we were told we were rebooked on a flight to houston via san francisco which we took

Now we are told our return flight non stop from houston back to houston in October has been cancelled and we are rebooked to london via chicago as we are are both 75 and do not want the hassle of taking the rebooked flight with airport changes we requested a refund whih united say is not possible as we used the first part of the ticket. Any ideas on this ?

I booked very early for a flight in the end of May. I am 75 years old with heart and lung problems. Later on the virus was spreading so I cancelled my flight for May. I received a voucher which is to be used I believe from one year from the date I purchased my tickets. What happens if United goes out of business? What happens if it is STILL NOT SAFE FOR ME TO FLY DUE TO THE VIRUS. WILL I LOOSE MY MONEY? I do not know at this time if this flight will be cancelled or not. But I accepted the voucher without knowledge of the new rules or waiting to find out if this flight is going to be cancelled. This virus puts a whole new twist to traveling which I had no knowledge that it was coming to USA.

United just called me yesterday about my flight to Italy in 1 days. They knew I would never make a connection and saved me the stress of waiting on hold. Good news for me: the first leg of my flight from my small airport didn't align with their suggested airline changes and I would have missed a flight. The rep said they are going to refund my whole trip back to my credit card and it would happen right away but would take a while to show up on my CC. I verified that my return (booked through United) on Lufthansa on May 6 also would be refunded. He said yes. That's $2,900 back to us and not waiting a year for the refund. I will need to call Lufthansa and get my seat upgrade refunded and hope that goes well.
So my advice is WAIT and WATCH your flights. I used Flightaware to help me out. I stressed over this WAY to long. My backup plan was to ask for a refund because my upgraded Premier Plus seats not have been available. Keep an eye on that as well. When I called a month ago they told me I would get a refund if my seat class changed to economy but it would be a year. At that time I just said no thank you and hung up. I also NEVER accepted any changes that showed up on the United page. Good luck to all of you!

If what AirlineIndustryInsider says is true, that Premier Platinum and above have been able to get a refund, then not everyone is on the same page at United. As a Global Services member, I can say that I’ve been flatly turned down by a supervisor after escalating from the GS customer service number. I suppose, the call center people are doing the best that they can... but, at the same time, it’s very frustrating...

Might now be a moot point, since I read that the DOT has just advised that airlines are required to offer refunds and not just vouchers for some of these Coronavirus cancellations. Or, maybe I read the CNBC article wrong...

Either way, never voluntarily flying United again.

This airline refuse to give me a refund on a flight I booked then about two weeks later we were put on a travel ban and I called the airline and my sister called the airline. She was told that there was nothing that they could do. When I called I was told that the ticket was not refundable and when I asked to speak to a manager to see what they said and they disconnected me. I have offered to provide the memo that was provided to me stating the travel ban and they said that doesn't matter.

I paid $900+ cash in January for round trip first class from Sacramento to New Orleans for April 15th. United sent me an email just now suggesting if I need to cancel, or change, I can do so. They did not say they were canceling my upcoming flight, but rather inviting me to do so.

But the two options they offer, if I cancel, seem to not offer the chance to completely change airports. I can foresee a need to fly this fall to Philadelphia - and would like to know that the $900+ I paid would be applied to the new trip.

I re-read their clauses multiple times - and I can either get a travel voucher in the mail, or a credit held at United - but I need to know that I can book to Philly without service charges and that the full amount of my ticket to New Orleans is usable towards another flight. I cannot get through to United via telephone (shocker!).

Desperate for clarity here- thanks!

I am talking to United. My flight was cancelled and I was re-ticketed for 8 hours later. They have ditched the refund after one year policy and now are not offering refunds period. The agent repeated this again and again. I shouted at them and demanded to speak to a supervisor and after a few minutes on hold they offered me a voucher for the full amount valid for one year, for any date of departure but only on United, no code-share. Maybe I could have fought for a cash refund as they have money now but one round of shouting was enough for me.

United's policy is extremely unfair and stinks of taking advantage of the taxpayers that might soon bail them out. It seems like United has never really changed their true colors from their passenger-dragging incident.

United can kiss my lifetime GS butt goodbye. I never thought they could ever get as low as this, even in hard times. I'm using my lifetime AAdvantage Platinum and lifetime Delta Platinum Medallion from now on... even if it means having to add a stop to most of my trips.

Amarillo - I had UA move me from bus class to economy on a flight april 15. $3,000 for 2 tickets. I told her it was a policy I saw that says I was able to receive a refund. Asked to speak to supervisor. She came back and said I was able to get a refund but it would not be till Nov 2020. My question is I didn't get an email confirmation or anything. The flight a week later still shows as booked. Can you point me to a link to the the DOT regulations? Did you get a confirmation? When did they say you would receive it.

Denny - I'd like to know what you find out.

This is disgraceful behavior by United Airlines--completely tone-deaf to the current situation and using the opportunity to 'help' customers to rebook as an opportunity to keep our money. Like many above I have a trip booked to Europe. UA changed and canceled the flights but holds to this one-year policy for refunds. I have over a million miles on UA and when I joined my new company insisted on using them instead of moving to the carrier favored by our company. This is how UA treats long-time loyal customers. This trip included TGV rail tickets--they refunded the tickets and waived the fees--and a hotel booked, non-refundable, with hotels.com who refunded the charges without any actions on my part. That, UA, is customer service. The agent I spoke with refused to allow me to speak with anyone else and, at the end, had the audacity to thank me for my loyalty. I explained I'll be taking my loyalty elsewhere. I expect many of you will join me. And like many of you, I can't believe they can legally get away with all the policy changes; I hope when this is done they are held accountable.

I was due to fly out to the USA on the 18th March for a surprise birthday, and the travel restrictions were imposed.

I have written to United and they have said that I cannot get a refund, as the tickets were “non-refundable” and I can rebook within a year.

I have since written back to them to say that I will not be flying to the USA again as it was a surprise birthday.

They are being adamant that a refund will not be made.

They are just keeping the money building up their bank balance.

I would give Customer service a score of -10/10.

It took me about the same time to read all these posts as to write my congressman urging that any airline bailout should be predicted upon a uniform and fair coronavirus pandemic refund policy.

Agreement should be negotiated between the IATA and passenger advocates.
No agreement, no problem, no bailout.

My letter will be a datapoint on chart prepared by some congressional aid. Thousands of letters will move the curve.

Your representative has a website. That website has a mailing address.
A mailed letter is almost alway more effective than an email.

Stop whining and start writing.

We had booked a direct flight to France from D.C. for April 9. The tickets were purchased in November 2019. UA initially changed this last week to a flight with a long layover (without my approval, of course). Then they just cancelled the flight outright. I just got off the phone with UA customer service, requesting a refund to my credit card. Refund denied- the representative said they are not offering refunds to ANYONE (only vouchers for future travel). This is bad enough, but it gets worse-- I was also told that since UA had made a change to my original reservation in March, I was no longer eligible for a refund one year from my original purchase date in November!!! The soonest I would be eligible for a refund if my travel credit went unused would be March of 2021 "plus a 90 day grace period after that." You have got to be kidding me! The government needs to step in a force the airlines -- as part of any assistance or bailout-- to refund customers for services that were paid for and are no longer being offered. This repeated change of policy on the part of UA is unacceptable, regardless of the financial position they are in. Many Americans are not faring well financially at this time either, and are not in a position to let the airlines hold on to their money for extended periods of time. And, of course, in the event the UA goes bankrupt, the customer can just forget about getting the money back, ever.

The best: United offers to change or cancel tickets and waive change fees, BUT: If you try to change your flight through an existing booking they just offer you alternative flights starting at 2.500$. If you check the same flight on their website without going through your booking first you find exactly the same flight for just 200$ - 800$. I gave them a call and asked them to change my flight without being so generous and not charging waving fees but a 2.000$ price difference of both tickets instead. The agent told me that this wasn't possible and that the data I see in their system was not correct. "Prices changes minute by minute" he said and "The flight you are talking about is fully booked". After the call I booked that flight separately and it was confirmed. This airline is full of sh*t and I highly doubt that they will pay back the money they are going to hold for the next 12 months...

I was scheduled on American Airlines on a family trip to Disney.The flight was delayed because of a maintenance issue and then had a mechanical issue and hours later cancelled the flight. We eventually flew to a different airport, rented a car and lost the day. They couldn't care less in my opinion. After complaining that 10,000 miles compensation was unacceptable they wrote saying they didn't have to do anything. I contacted the FAA who confirmed they leave everything up to the airlines. The FAA in my opinion, appears to have little regard for passenger rights over big corporations- including Boeing as well. Whats a few plane crashes. They still assured the public the planes were safe.
In the past airlines were required to compensate passengers. It appears, in my opinion, the airlines get very good returns from their lobbyists.I suggest everyone write their members of congress to make any bailouts conditional on returning passenger rights and compensation. I will !!

Call your credit card company and talk to someone in the dispute department. I received an email yesterday that United was changing our non-stop (approx 10 hour flight) to a one stop flight in NYC that was going to be a 14 hour flight time. I called United and was basically told too bad. So then I called the credit card company and they are going to refund the money because I bought a non-stop flight and not a one stop and the flights are longer. The agent at the cc company said that even if United didn't reimburse it the cc company would out of their pocket!

Lucky, you couldn't have said it better! I planned my vacation to Italy 9 months ago and specifically chose a more expensive United flight due to my loyalty to United, when I could have taken a cheaper flight on Delta or American. What a mistake! When the situation first broke out in Italy I called immediately, explaining I couldn't afford to cancel and be charged $600 in cancellation fees because I'm a single mom. And I couldn't realistically rebook by June 30 because I can't get time off of work with no notice and I am a single mom and would need to find care for my kids...also not possible with no notice. UA said I should wait and that if my flight was cancelled I would then get a FULL REFUND. So I waited, I did everything they recommended. Then I saw the notice that they are offering a "new way of helping" me by keeping my money for a year! What a load of BS. They will get a bail out and they will get to keep my money. It's absolutely deplorable! Now in the United app it says I have a credit, however when I called the number recommended in the app for more info I was directed to an incredibly rude UA employee who said because I booked through a third party they were not going to help me re-book or give me any info about the credit. The agent basically said I'll be lucky if I get anything because I booked through a third party and I bought a very inexpensive fare, so you get what you pay for!

Wow, as an FA I intentionally avoid the comments sections of these articles though I appreciate and learn from the articles and bloggers themselves. For the most part the articles mostly reveal how different our perspectives are and they help me as a thoughtful FA understand our customer’s point of view. At times I find the articles, but mostly the comments, woefully lacking in the behind the scenes knowledge required to put the myriad of complaints or even praises in proper context but that’s as it should be when this is not a blog for or by airline employees. I’m commenting today because I’m grateful to Lucky for an evenhanded informative update on AA (I work for another major, we are all scrambling for accurate and timely information) and because my heart cannot take the cowardice I’d be displaying if I did not speak up in defense of my profession. The patience and mental fortitude it takes to withstand the challenges and disrespect we face from both our customers and our employers while delivering customer service and safety simultaneously with a very limited toolbox (don’t forget to smile!) is extremely challenging and contrary to these comments is a real job that is HARD. I know without a doubt many of you have experienced subpar customer service on an airline, and I wish that wasn’t the case. But I ask that the thousands of you that do receive excellent service, kindness, and quelled fears from FAs every single day, speak up for us! I know for a fact the majority of us do our jobs well and if you travel frequently and only get “terrible” service that is something you should reflect inwardly upon. Try to remember we are a rock, hard place and shield between the consumer and the big business, for both of you. We are beaten down by the penny-pinching and disconnect behind us and the often misdirected hatred and ignorance in front of us. We want nothing more than the airline to give you the policies, amenities and service you deserve. We also want informed expectations and understanding that so much in air travel is out of any one company’s or one persons control. We experience the discomforts WITH and ALONGSIDE you. We should be on the same team! We also want to protect our livelihoods, our industry and our employer which now requires previously incomprehensible decisions be made by our management and unions. I think anyone frequenting these pages understands the vital role air travel has in this world. I hope our industry survives, I hope my airline prioritizes frontline employees and consumers, and I hope we all find some mutual respect.

I agree with Cheryl. Let us fly the same dates in 2021. We had planned a trip for four families. The only time we could all get together was spring break. Now we will probably be flying at a higher price in December...or possibly not be able to get together at all as a group! Why 12/31/20 when we were flying 3/24-3/29/20?
United's policy could be much more customer friendly. United is putting their clients last!
American and Delta have similar policies. Business first, clients last1

Ben, can you guide me on what to do. My son and I have two business class tickets from SFO to Dublin via CDG in early April. The tickets were purchased from Delta but the flights are on Air France, their partner. If our flights aren't cancelled and we cancel them ourselves, I understand I have to take a credit. But why if they cancel the flights am I required to also take a credit? And will the credit be in each person's travel account or just in the person who booked the flights? I do not think my son will be able to use that large of a flight credit between now and the end of the year. (It would be nice if the airlines would give everyone a year to use the credit instead of the end of the year.) Finally, do you think the airlines will raise prices to compensate for the downturn? Seems like a crappy thing to do when they know everyone will have credits to spend.

My one stop flight to/from TLV was just cancelled. They have me on a 3 segment journey on the next day. App is useless - only option is to "review and accept changes". Can't just review them (and we all know what happens once you accept). On hold now but not hopeful. Afraid to cancel on website as I have no idea what will happen once I click Cancel (knowing them, it will be a one-click cancellation with no opportunity to review terms and they will provide current terms of one year credit).

We purchased 2 one way tickets from Utah to Tampa using Credit Card points through our bank?not through United. When we cancelled due to recommendations not to travel (ages 72,73) we were given an e ticket good for one year, however to purchase this back the charges are over 5
$500.00. Points can not be reinstated and we do plan to use the ticket in the future but not for that fee. Ideas??? BTW I waited 96 minutes on hold to speak to someone in a call center and emails/chats to United have not been answered.

I'd echo Matt's sentiments. While I agree that United's new policy is BS, and I don't feel like they deserve any sympathy or bailout, I think Ben needs to educate himself on the disingenous interpretations of "40% of Americans can't afford a unexpected $400 expense" and "more than half of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck".

As Matt pointed out, the $400 unexpected expense is a misinterpretation. The paycheck to paycheck argument fails to take into account that most Americans agree that they overspend and live above their means. Do a tiny bit of research, instead of just spouting liberal talking points to support your personal beliefs.

United Airlines net income(profit after expenses) last year was over 3BILLION dollars. Yes, airlines are hurting now, but that's part of being in business. When they make profits they keep it, when they have loses, WE the customers have to help them. Are you kidding?

United cancelled my flight, rebooked me on a flight 20 hours later, and won't give me a refund. I've have a OnePass account and been a loyal Continental/United customer since the 1980s, but this policy will change my loyalty. United now has an image of a dirty pig. They could have looked like a decent company if you did the right thing. They spend so much money on advertisements but they could have had the best advertisement results if they didn't try pulling these stunts. Shame on them.

United is crying poverty. Trump will "bail" them out. Makes me vomit.

I just canceled my United Airlines tickets I booked before with mileage awards, because we had a wedding that was canceled due to coronavirus. United charged me $75 for each person, and I was charged total $1725 to my credit card I used to book flights.
On United website it said, I quote, "... We are committed to helping all of our customers with their travel plans. If you are scheduled to travel between now and April 30 and would like to change your plans, there is no fee to do so. ..."
The wedding was planned long time ago, and was on April 25 originally, now postponed. We don't know when the virus situation will improve, so we have to cancel the flights and rebook later when we know when. United airline is NOT helping at all!!!!

So I paid United for a service they didn't provide (a flight). They refund me, but I only get the refund in 1 year? Very sketchy.

Also, there's a decent chance some of these airlines will file for bankruptcy protection. What happens to my credit then? I assume it will be lost.

I travel a fair amount, and I'm up to $4k in credits across 2 airlines, for my March travel. I expect to be up to $6k in the next few weeks as some of my April stuff is probably going to cancel also.

Why should my tax dollars go to bailout for an airline which has the worst customer service in the industry? They are literally hoarding your money as a consumer and asking for your tax dollars.

Let them go bankrupt. Bailout the employees. Some other airline will take their slots and surely can do a better job than United.

If they want a bailout it cannot be a blank check. The airlines need to act like businesses that are consumer and employee friendly. After all we are paying for the bill and we should have the same input that any hedge fund investor would have on their board.