UC Z fare ex EU cancellation terms...

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice please!

Last April 2015, I booked an ex DUB UC fare to Cancun for this month (20-27 Feb 2016) for my mum and I.

In November 2015, I was seconded to New York with work for a year. This wasn't a problem for my original outbound flight, as I flew from NY back to the UK on 14 Feb - a week before our holiday, to work from the UK office and catch up with friends.

When I was relocated, I decided to buy a one way Cancun to NY ticket to use as my return (and forgoe my upper return leg back to the UK, and then Dub), as the flight is 3 hours, rather than and 9 hour flight back to the UK and a 8 hour flight back to NY immidiatley after!

My question is this: after calling Expedia to cancel the return leg, they "cannot confirm" whether or not I will get any taxes back at all, and if I do it will be a "minimal amount" however there is no cancellation fee. I am therefore a little reluctant for the seat to be resold and me not receive a penny back in taxes?
The date change fee is £250 and the ex Eu to CUN is now a much higher fare, so that is out of the question too!
If I check in so I can use the lounge with my mum, but don't board the plane, am I still eligible for taxes to be refunded? Should I call Expedia and cancel in the hope I get something back?

Any advise on what to do would be greatly appreciated as I am in a quandary!

Chris

And the return leg is on Saturday so I don't have much time!!

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice please!

Last April 2015, I booked an ex DUB UC fare to Cancun for this month (20-27 Feb 2016) for my mum and I.

In November 2015, I was seconded to New York with work for a year. This wasn't a problem for my original outbound flight, as I flew from NY back to the UK on 14 Feb - a week before our holiday, to work from the UK office and catch up with friends.

When I was relocated, I decided to buy a one way Cancun to NY ticket to use as my return (and forgoe my upper return leg back to the UK, and then Dub), as the flight is 3 hours, rather than and 9 hour flight back to the UK and a 8 hour flight back to NY immidiatley after!

My question is this: after calling Expedia to cancel the return leg, they "cannot confirm" whether or not I will get any taxes back at all, and if I do it will be a "minimal amount" however there is no cancellation fee. I am therefore a little reluctant for the seat to be resold and me not receive a penny back in taxes?
The date change fee is £250 and the ex Eu to CUN is now a much higher fare, so that is out of the question too!
If I check in so I can use the lounge with my mum, but don't board the plane, am I still eligible for taxes to be refunded? Should I call Expedia and cancel in the hope I get something back?

Any advise on what to do would be greatly appreciated as I am in a quandary!

Chris

If you check in then to all intents and purposes the flight coupon will be lifted - and as such will have been used so I would imagine that you would then not get any taxes back. If you use the lounge but don't board the plane all I would imagine you'd be doing is causing an inconvenience to other passengers as VS would be waiting for you to board, causing a possible delay

Taxes on a Z to DUB via LHR would be approx $17.80
Civil Aviation Security Service Fee - USA is $5.60
Passenger Service Charge - UK is $31.69
Passenger Facility Charge $4.50
Total taxes and charges is around $59.59

So if the refund fee is $60, its pointless.

To the OP - you have done the most important thing and used the outbound legs of your tickets, so your inbound journeys back to the UK are intact.

As above, the taxes you may be entitled to reclaim are all but the same as the refund fee you'd have to pay, so just put it down to experience and bin your return leg.

However, I would check in for the return VS flight so as not to put your Mums' booking at any risk. Have your Mum check hold luggage & you travel with hand luggage only (having previously checked your hold luggage into NYC with the other airline you have booked with). In the lounge in Cancun, ask to speak to a VS rep (there will be one they can call) and then invent the "urgent phone call from work" excuse that means you cannot fly back to the UK and offload yourself. As you have no checked bags this should be easy & will prevent the flight being held for you as a potential no-show at the gate.

Keep your boarding pass for the flight you intend to take hidden - I'd imagine you'd be returned landside to visit the ticketing desk of another airline to buy a ticket to NYC. Just re-join the security queue with your boarding pass for NYC.

I have done similar with my Dad years ago on AA. We were both ticketed on reward flights for a skiing holiday - took the outbound legs fine. It was actually pre-planned, but we did not tell AA this that my Dad was flying on from Denver on a business trip in AA & was returning home alone on the reward ticket. Return leg of my Dads ticket was binned with ease at Denver check-in (probably helped that he also had a full fare First ticket on AA for his actual destination!)

Thanks so much for your help! Will put it down to experience and ensure I let someone know so as not to delay the plane! Thanks all