Added to this article is a poll: should this refund issue be escalated to the Department of Transportation of the United States? The issue to which I am specifically referring is when a full refund was promised when canceling an airline ticket within 24 hours of purchasing it; but the airline withholds taxes that a foreign government claims cannot be refunded.
Poll: Should This Refund Issue Be Escalated to the Department of Transportation?
First, here is a review of the verbiage of refunds of airline tickets canceled within 24 hours of purchase, according to the official Internet web site of the Department of Transportation of the United States:
For airline tickets that are purchased at least seven days before a flight’s scheduled departure date and time, airlines are required to either:
- allow consumers to cancel their reservation and receive a full refund without a penalty for 24 hours, or
- allow consumers to reserve a ticket (place it on hold) at the quoted prices without paying for the ticket for 24 hours.
I purchased a round trip ticket with American Airlines to Guayaquil in Ecuador for $461.21; but although I canceled it within 24 hours, I received the following e-mail message that informed me that my refund “is complete” with only $451.21, which has since posted to my credit card account.
The official response I received from the airline was that “The difference is a tax paid to the government of Ecuador at the time of sale and are non-refundable.” After I decided to contact American Airlines through one of its official customer service channels and succinctly state my case, I was awarded a Trip Credit worth ten dollars per ticket that was added to my American Airlines AAdvantage membership account.
The resolution was not exactly what I wanted, because now I must purchase yet another airline ticket with American Airlines within the next year in order to use the Trip Credits — but I suppose it is better than getting nothing at all…
…or is it? Readers of The Gate With Brian Cohen have been advising that I should escalate this issue to the Department of Transportation — but not everyone wants to take the time to write a comment; so the following poll was created so that you may opine in seconds:
Loading ...American Airlines does state as its policy for refunds within 24 hours that “Refunds will be issued in the full amounts, less taxes we must pay whether or not you travel” — but that policy is not clear unless one searches for that specific information.
“Have you reached out to the Embassy of Ecuador?” Jack Martinez — who is a reader of The Gate With Brian Cohen — asked in the comments section of this article. “Given that it is the action of a foreign government, related to international policies, perhaps you may also want to reach out to the American Embassy 823in Quito or the US Department of State.”
Final Boarding Call
No expiration limit was imposed on the poll at this time.
Judging from the responses, I will consider whether or not I should escalate this issue in order to help prevent someone else from experiencing similar situations…
Photograph ©2019 by Brian Cohen.
