Getting lower airfare if the rates drop

[Richard M Nixon]

I've been listening to the dis unplugged podcast and I've heard the guys talking about apps that will tell you if your airfare goes down in price so you can call up and get a refund of the difference. I've never heard of this before and I always thought it was "pay what you paid, no refunds". Can you actually call up whoever your carrier is and tell them you see a rate for $50 less and get a refund? Are they only buying full price or business class or something?

 

[bumbershoot]

There are only a few airlines that let you change to a lower fare without a fee. Southwest lets you do it online or the phone, Jet Blue I think you have to call (and their official info doesn't seem to way they'll do it without a fee, but they seem to do it), and Alaska (there's an EASY form to fill out). The rest have a fee, that's usually FAR more than $50. But if the fare lowers by more than the fee for changing, sure, just call them and ask to change, if changes are allowed.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Change fees for domestic flights on US airlines average $200 per ticket, with the exceptions as stated in the previous post. For those airlines, you don't get a refund, you get a credit to use on another flight. The only exceptions are when you buy a fully refundable ticket, which are usually very expensive.