Refunding fare differences on Allegiant?

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Refunding fare differences on Allegiant?

Q. I booked my flight to Orlando on Allegiant for $159 round-trip, and not even 12 hours later, the price of the same trip was down to $59 round-trip. Needless to say, I'm a little frustrated. Is there something I can do?

A. Some airlines do refund the difference for a price drop (and charge a fee for doing so, which sometimes negates any savings...) but Allegiant is not one of them. From their website:

What if the fare drops on a ticket after I have already purchased it?
The desire for the lowest possible fare is understandable; however, Allegiant Air unfortunately cannot refund or credit fare differences after a reservation has been made. When the original ticket is purchased, via the web or by a reservations agent, the purchaser of the ticket is prompted or asked if they agree to the following terms and conditions in order to purchase the ticket: "All tickets are non-refundable, one-way, and ticketless". This is because Allegiant Air unfortunately cannot control when a passenger will book their flight. Allegiant also does not have advance knowledge of when specials will be offered. The fluctuation in a fare may also be caused by cancellations, and since Allegiant does not overbook its flights, a seat may become available at a lower price.

For future reference, Delta, United, American, US Airways, and Continental all have some sort of refund policy to address such fare decreases.

Post a Comment

i had same problem with NW. their site guarantees they will give you the lower price if they lower or other airline. i had booked to vegas and found the price drop of almost 50% with NW about a week later and called them to get refund. but unfortunately i did not read the fine print which was that you had to find this w/in 24 hour of booking. i did do the exchange with the addtl fees and they gave us $20 refund in coupons for future use. lol
next time will read fine print 1st.

by sara on Wednesday, July 22, 2009

I also booked a ticket with Allegiant Air and the price went down. Fortunately I had purchased the flex fare. They did NOT refund the difference , but gave me a credit for the difference.

by PJ on Tuesday, July 21, 2009

I'll tell you, Southwest's policy allowing you to make changes with no penalty, and issuing refund credits if the price is lower is just FABULOUS to me. I had a flight that dropped in price twice after I booked it, and I just re-booked and now have a credit good for a year. Which I will absolutely use, because Southwest has now become my airline of preference, even if their price is a little higher than others, just because of the lack of hassles involved. Oh, and no luggage charges, either!

by sayhello on Monday, February 02, 2009

samper wrote
Do you ask for a refund of a price difference with a sweater, a car, a grocery item, a house or gasoline when the product goes "on sale"? Probably not. Therefore, you shouldn't expect airlines to accommodate such a thing for their product.
why yes I do for a product that I can return, or a service I have not yet used. Such as a sweater, TV, computer, DVDs, airline tics, etc. etc. MANY large nationwide retailers have such a policy in place, have you ever heard of PRICE PROTECTION. I have invoked the store's policy MANY times, and they have always honored it - as long as I am within their time frame. I like my money to stay in MY pocket, not theirs. Don't you?
to the OP -- some airlines allow you to cancel your original resv. within 24 hours --- no questions asked for a full refund to your credit card. Next time call the airline, and cancel your reservation and immediately rebook at the lower price. But - it has to be done within 24 hours. good luck.

by leggo on Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Actually, lovsng1281, I didn't say anyone was "crazy" for wanting a business to allow them to secure the lowest price. I also didn't use the word "unfair". You really should read the post before commenting on it. The fact is that mainstream products are bought for a price. They don't come with any guarantee of a refund should the price drop after purchase. I am wondering why folks think this should be an absolute with the travel industry after they have entered into a contract when it is clearly not the standard in any other industry. I've never seen a local store advertise such a thing and while it might be available in your area, it's certainly not in mine.

by samper on Monday, January 26, 2009

Actually, samper, you can get refunds on some of the items you listed. Many stores allow for price adjustments within a certain amount of time, often 14 days. I get them all the time, no hassle, no fees. I don't think it's unfair for people willing to do the work of rechecking a price and going back to the store or airline to get the best price available. While few airlines honor this practice, to imply that someone is crazy for wanting a business to allow them to secure the lowest price is unfair.

by lovsng1281 on Thursday, January 22, 2009

Hi!thanks for this page!! are great!! Q; it is so hard to get a good deal from ABQ airpot New Mexico..to Buenos Aires..I never was able to find those super deals !! like every body else !! AND...NO; I will not move to NY or LA..ha.ha.ha.. any suggestions ???I can get some good fares from Atlanta or Houston.. but a soonest I ad a connection from Albuquerque.. good Lord !! no more savings..!.HEY !! a million Thanks.. KEEP THE GOD JOB!!!

by dann on Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Try Yapta.com in the future. They will track your specific flights, once booked, for any drops in price and will let you know. For a small fee (I think it's $10) they will do the negotiations for you and refund you the difference.

by airdee on Wednesday, January 21, 2009

While we all want to get the best price going, the fact remains that when you bought the ticket, you obviously felt it was a fair price for their product. If not, you wouldn't have bought it.

Do you ask for a refund of a price difference with a sweater, a car, a grocery item, a house or gasoline when the product goes "on sale"? Probably not. Therefore, you shouldn't expect airlines to accommodate such a thing for their product.

If you are not comfortable with the price offered, wait for a lower one, but don't expect the airline to jump through hoops to negate a contract you entered into.

I just don't understand why folks think airlines and cruise companies should do this for their products when mainstream businesses do not (and are not expected to) do so for their products.

by samper on Saturday, January 17, 2009

As far as I know, Southwest, United, JetBlue, and Alaska are the only airlines that will issue a refund in form of a voucher for future travel. I believe US Air used to do it, as well as American, but they have since changed their policy in the last year or so. Although almost all airlines will allow you to change an itinerary, almost all of them have a change fee, usually about $100 domestic, $200 internationally. So if the airfare change isn't at least this amount, then you won't get any refund/voucher. Also, if the fare says no changes like consolidator fares, then you're completely out of luck.

Also of note, as far as I know Southwest is the only airline that will also let you change date/time of travel to receive a credit. Basically, if you originally buy a ticket on Monday, and then change it to Tuesday [which is cheaper], then you get the difference in a credit valid up to a year after booking the original trip. Although I personally haven't tried changing an itinerary with United, JetBlue, or Alaska, I found Southwest's web site extremely easy to use. I was able to rebook the same exact flight numbers with a credit issued electronically associated with the confirmation code. The credit can be used online or on the phone [unlike some airlines, which require you to mail the voucher in or go to an airport for booking, some of which charge extra if you do either even with a voucher].

Basically, make sure to do your research before purchasing a ticket, if Southwest is only $15 more, you may want to book with them since you don't have any change fees or baggage fees [up to 2]. It all depends on what your travel needs are, not all airlines are the same.

Good luck!

@Matthew

PS--Yapta will automatically alert travelers for tickets booked, check out their list of airline rebooking fees at http://www.yapta.com/faq/content/9/28/en/airline-re_booking-fees.html

by matthewsoft on Saturday, January 17, 2009

Buy the $59 fare and fly on THAT ticket. Then hold on to your $159 ticket for future use. That's 2 destinations for $218. Not bad. This is assuming that Allegiant will let you use your unused $159 ticket at $0 penalty, which on their website is not clear.

by robrenovales on Friday, January 16, 2009

Purchase the trip protection option also which allows you to change your ticket or even rebook it in someone else's name. I think it is one of the best deals going for making changes.

by degeha on Friday, January 16, 2009

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