4 ms·

In the U.S. all airlines allow you to cancel your reservation at no charge within 24 hours of booking, so if you make a mistake, then you can cancel your reserv

by dirtae 12y ago

In the U.S. all airlines allow you to cancel your reservation at no charge within 24 hours of booking, so if you make a mistake, then you can cancel your reservation and make a new one.

gergles 12y ago
Only if the flight is more than 7 days away. And, they make you 'rebook', and as the GP comment said, the fares change on a minute-by-minute basis, so you're probably going to have to pay more.
- dirtae 12y ago
  You seem to be implying that if you make a mistake while booking a flight, and as a result the airline refunds all of your money, then if you have to pay more for the flight you actually wanted than you would have paid when booking the original (mistaken) flight, the airline has harmed you. Do I have that right? If so, could you explain your theory of how the airline has wronged you?
  - landryraccoon 12y ago
    Harm in this context has to be defined legally, not intuitively. If what you are claiming is the case, then there would never be a penalty for breaking a contract, other than not having to fulfill your side of the bargain. But there are tons of ways in which breaking a contract could harm you. Let's take your example, using airline tickets. Imagine you are the purchaser of the tickets, and I am the airline you purchased them from. You might miss the opportunity to book another flight at a cheaper price, since you relied on my promise of a flight, and now you must rebook. You might miss your opportunity to travel at all, or must now change your travel plans, because all of the flights are overbooked. You might have budgeted very carefully, and purchased hotel reservations and a car rental, and now I have cancelled your flight and you cannot afford more expensive tickets because you already purchased a hotel and car, and you are over budget. All of these are reasonable scenarios that I would have encountered traveling, if an airline refused to honor its reservation. This is why contracts have to be honored, and the penalty for breaking a contract is typically more than "you just don't have to honor your side of the contract".

by dirtae 12y ago

In the U.S. all airlines allow you to cancel your reservation at no charge within 24 hours of booking, so if you make a mistake, then you can cancel your reservation and make a new one.

gergles 12y ago

Only if the flight is more than 7 days away. And, they make you 'rebook', and as the GP comment said, the fares change on a minute-by-minute basis, so you're probably going to have to pay more.

dirtae 12y ago
You seem to be implying that if you make a mistake while booking a flight, and as a result the airline refunds all of your money, then if you have to pay more for the flight you actually wanted than you would have paid when booking the original (mistaken) flight, the airline has harmed you. Do I have that right? If so, could you explain your theory of how the airline has wronged you?
- landryraccoon 12y ago
  Harm in this context has to be defined legally, not intuitively. If what you are claiming is the case, then there would never be a penalty for breaking a contract, other than not having to fulfill your side of the bargain. But there are tons of ways in which breaking a contract could harm you. Let's take your example, using airline tickets. Imagine you are the purchaser of the tickets, and I am the airline you purchased them from. You might miss the opportunity to book another flight at a cheaper price, since you relied on my promise of a flight, and now you must rebook. You might miss your opportunity to travel at all, or must now change your travel plans, because all of the flights are overbooked. You might have budgeted very carefully, and purchased hotel reservations and a car rental, and now I have cancelled your flight and you cannot afford more expensive tickets because you already purchased a hotel and car, and you are over budget. All of these are reasonable scenarios that I would have encountered traveling, if an airline refused to honor its reservation. This is why contracts have to be honored, and the penalty for breaking a contract is typically more than "you just don't have to honor your side of the contract".