24 Hour Ticketing Rule
THE 24 HOUR TICKETING RULE
Is a customer service standard set by the Department of Transportation that says airlines must let travelers hold a reservation at the quoted fare for 24 hours without payment, or allow a purchased reservation to be canceled within 24 hours without penalty and with a full refund to the original form of payment. This is a rule even on a non-refundable ticket. However, that rule only applies to tickets booked at least seven days in advance of departure.
KEY POINTS:
1. This 24 hour ticketing rule is a rule/consumer protection for tickets purchased through the airlines directly.
While most 3rd party booking sites offer this same benefit/rule, you should make sure they do before you complete your purchase.
KEY POINTS:
2. This DOT rule DOES NOT apply to air tickets purchased within 7 days of travel.
Some airlines (American for one), do voluntarily offer flyers the ability to cancel for no penalty inside 7 days but are not required to by the dot rule. You should look for/see this option when booking.
DURANGO FLYER RECOMMENDATION
This rule can be really helpful for flight deal hunters!
THE FLIGHT DEAL CONSIDERATION HOLD
Air deals and unadvertised air sales can come and go quickly. So quickly you might not know if others in your travel party can make the dates/flight times work. This is one example where you should book. You just want to make sure you change or cancel your ticket within 24 hours if you need to.
With this approach you to lose nothing. By making the initial booking but paying attention to the 24 hours rule you can get a great flight ticket deal. Taking this action can also SAVE you money!
IMPORTANT
Just make sure you know how the airlines execute the 24 hour ticketing rule. American Airlines, for example, allows you to hold a ticket for 24 hours before you are required to purchase or the reservation will automatically cancel. Also, on American, with purchased ticket if you cancel within 24 hours you can receive a full refund on your ticket.
Another example is with United. Their 24 hour booking policy allows their flyers to make changes or cancellations without penalty. (For changes and cancellations done within 24 hours). The other requirement is that the change or cancellation also occurs 7+ days before departure.
As you see, the 24 hour ticketing rule policies can have slight differences between the airlines. Make sure to know your airlines rules and use them for your benefit.