Air travel is not cheap and even “low-budget” airlines charge you more than R1 000 for a local, return flight. However, low-cost air tickets come with a non-refundable clause, so you get what you pay for. Read the fine print before you buy because a refund might not fly.

Khanyi purchased four tickets from Kulula last year and was not allowed to cancel them despite a family emergency and cancelling a month before the flight.  Six days after booking the tickets to fly from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, he called the Kulula call centre to cancel the flights. “My aunt was critically ill and as the only family member in Gauteng, I couldn’t leave. Kulula refused to cancel on the grounds that she is not my immediate family,” he says. Khanyi wonders whether the refusal by Kulula to cancel his tickets contravenes the Consumer Protection Act.

Marketing manager for Kulula, Shaun Pozyn, says that if a customer is unable to change their flight to another date or another route, then a 100% cancellation fee applies. In other words, you lose the money you paid for your flight.

“We understand that there may be times when customers are unable to travel, and therefore we allow customers the option of changing their flight to another date or even to another route, so that they don’t forfeit what they have paid,” he says. You can change your flight online, up to 24 hours  before the flight departs. If you need to change a flight that leaves in less than 24 hours, you will have to contact the Kulula customer contact centre. Staff at the contact centre can make changes to your flight arrangements, up to 45 minutes before the scheduled departure of the original flight you booked. However, Pozyn points out that you pay a service fee per person per trip for changes made via the contact centre.

The fees you pay

Depending on the type of ticket you bought and whether or not you use the contact centre, you may have to fork out a change-of-booking fee. This fee varies between R171 and R342 per person per flight, depending on your ticket type. “In addition, if there is a difference in cost between the original flight booked and the new flight, you will have to pay in the difference,” he says. If the new flight fare is exactly the same as the original flight fare, or cheaper then only the change-of-booking fee will apply, if necessary.  Interestingly, Kulula makes no mention of a refund to you if the new flight is cheaper than the original flight you booked.

Mango allows you to make changes to the date, time or route of your flight booking, at a cost of R280 per change. So, even if you change your flight to a later time on the same date, you will have to pay R280. Note that the R280 charge only applies if you make the change via the Mango website. If you want to make a change via the call centre or guest service centre at the airport, you will have to pay R370. Mango Airlines has a polite notice on its website and most likely, also in the fine print when you buy your ticket, stating that if you want to change your flight and you find a cheaper fare than your original flight, “Mango Airlines is unable to refund a guest for the difference”. However, if you find a more expensive flight, the airline has no qualms about adding the difference in fare to your bill.

Refunds

Refunds from airlines are notoriously difficult to get – and not without reason. Michelle Kleu, country manager for TravelStart South Africa, says it is usually easy to cancel a flight by calling either your travel agent or the airline directly. However, complications arise when you ask for a refund. “Each airline and even the type of fare you buy initially, has different requirements to allow for a refund. It is best to check these with your agent or your airline before cancelling your ticket,” she warns.

You can get a refund if you were unable to travel due to being hospitalised or if you die.  This is in line with the Consumer Protection Act, which states that a supplier is not allowed to impose a cancellation fee if you are hospitalised or you die. The CPA goes on to state that suppliers are allowed to charge you a “reasonable” cancellation fee. Pozyn says you need to provide proof of your hospitalisation and if you die, then a family member has to submit a copy of your death certificate for a refund to be effected.

Pozyn is also the marketing manager for British Airways, operated by Comair. This airline offers you a choice of a flexible fare, a semi-flexible fare or a non-flexible fare. With a flexible fare, you are able to cancel your flight for a 100% refund. If you compare the costs of flights, you will likely find that you pay a premium for this “flexibility”. If you travel on a semi-flexible fare, you receive a percentage of your money back if you cancel your flight. If you are watching your budget and buy the cheapest British Airways fare or a non-flexible ticket, you will be charged a 100% cancellation fee and don’t get your money back. In other words, the airline will refund you for a cancelled flight if you pay a premium upfront for the privilege.

Kleu says if you are looking at a low-cost airline, the difference between the lowest restricted fare and a flexible fare can range from about R600 to R1000 in the case of a flight between Cape Town and Johannesburg, depending on the airline.

If you are hospitalised or die, then British Airways will provide a full refund for both semi-flexible and non-flexible tickets. But again, you or your family will have to provide proof of hospitalisation or a death certificate.

Some airlines will offer you a voucher or allow you to move your flight to any date within a year. However, this is normally only for the passenger whose name is on the ticket. Kleu says low-cost airlines may offer you the option of changing the name of the person who is flying. If this is the case, it makes using the ticket at a later date much easier, because a friend or family member could use the ticket.

This article first appeared in City Press