- Airlines are sitting on $10 Billion of unused ticket value and now time is running out for them.
- When COVID-19 interrupted everyone’s travel plans. airlines expanded their cancellation and rebook policies.
- Many travelers who changed or cancelled flights have travel credits issued from airlines that may be rapidly expiring.
Though airlines took a hard hit in 2020, many are about to make a lot of money from travelers’ expiring flight credits. According to the reports, air carriers are sitting on $10 Billion of unused ticket value and now time is running out.
When COVID-19 interrupted everyone’s travel plans, airlines expanded their cancellation and rebook policies. A lot of people who changed or cancelled flights have travel credits issued from airlines that may be rapidly expiring. Here’s how to check for and use your travel credits before it’s too late.
Find Your Old Emails
If you cancelled a flight, you were likely sent a confirmation email with details regarding your travel credit. A good way to narrow the search is to type the name of the airline in your inbox search bar, and sift through there. Emails will often include “travel credit” or “reservation” in the subject line.
Create a Profile with the Airline
Once you’ve located your email, there should be instructions for how to log onto the airline’s website and rebook with your travel credit. From there you will also be able to check how much credit you have and when it will expire.
Call the Airline’s Customer Service Team
This option may require an hour or two on the phone. If you are unsure of whether or not you have credit to use it may be best to talk to an airline customer service representative. With your name and original confirmation number, you will be able use the credit that you have left.
Remember
Once your travel credit expires, there’s no getting it back. If you cancelled or changed any flight in the past two years, be sure to claim your unused ticket value before it is too late.
So far, United Airlines was the only major US airline to have extended the value of unused tickets to Dec 31, 2022.
