Major airlines’ non-refundable ticket policies, including exceptions to the rule.
Delta
- Non-refundable tickets: You can reschedule the ticket and you have one year from the ticket’s original issue date to reschedule. The traveler will not lose the value of the ticket.
- In order to get full refund, must have an exception: The death of the passenger, immediate family member, or traveling companion. However, you will be required to forward a copy of the death certificate to the Passenger Refunds Department.
- Bulk fare or tour fare tickets issued through certain third-party websites and travel agents are not eligible for any changes.
- 24-hour risk-free cancellation
Link: https://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/support/faqs/preparing-for-your-trip/refunds-faqs.html
American Airlines
No refunds for non-refundable tickets, except if canceled within 24 hours from purchase.
Exceptions:
- Death of the passenger/traveling companion
- Schedule change 61 minutes or more
- Military orders/change in duty
You can apply the unused value of your American Airlines ticket toward a future trip as long as:
- New trip begins is one year or less from original purchase date.
- You canceled the original ticket before the departure of the first flight (or the ticket loses any remaining value and cannot be used for future travel.)
- 24-hour, risk-free cancellation
Link: https://www.aa.com/i18n/customer-service/faqs/customer-service-faqs.jsp#nonrefundticket
Southwest
- Customers can also change or cancel the reservation any time before the flight for credit.
- Customers just pay the difference if fare is more expensive.
- 24-hour, risk-free cancellation.
Link: https://www.southwest.com/html/air/fare-information.html
JetBlue
- For JetBlue, non-refundable fares, changes or cancellations before the departure can be made with an applicable change fee per person, plus any difference in airfare.
- Change fees range from $75 to $150.
- Any remaining balance will be placed as credit and can be used for future travel, one year from purchase date.
- If a non-refundable reservation is not changed or cancelled before the scheduled departure, all money is lost.
Exceptions:
- In the event there is a death of an immediate family member of a ticketed customer, and the death occurs within one week of the ticketed flights, JetBlue will authorize waiving the cancel/change fee, and the ticket can be left in "open" status for use within one year from the date of issuance.
- Illnesses do NOT qualify as a full refund
- 24-hour risk-free cancellation
Link: https://www.jetblue.com/travel-agents/cancellation-policy/
Virgin Airlines
- Non–refundable fares must be cancelled prior to scheduled departure time.
- If trying to refund the non-refundable ticket prior to flight departure, the guest will receive a credit in the value of the refund minus any change fee.
- Credit can be used to book travel with Virgin America within one year from the cancellation date of the original itinerary.
- 24-hour risk-free cancellation
Link: https://www.virginamerica.com/cms/legal/guest-service-commitment
Spirit
- $100 change/cancellation fee
- Refunds are not permitted for requests made within seven days prior to departure. A credit for future travel on Spirit will be issued. The credit for future travel on Spirit must be booked within 60 days of purchase for travel. No cash value.
- 24-hour risk-free cancellation
Frontier
- Non-refundable tickets retain value for 90 days, and the value may be applied toward the purchase of a future ticket with a change fee of $99.
Link: https://www.flyfrontier.com/legal/ticket-terms-and-conditions/ (See flight and ticket cancellation tab)
