Continental Airline Tickets

How do I cancel a travelocity flight without incurring massive fees or losing all my money?

A few months ago I booked a flight through travelocity.com for $800. Recently, however, I found several flights for $300, and desperately want to cancel my original reservations so I can put that extra money toward my trip. I keep hearing awful things about travelocity customer service, and the site DOES say that tickets are non-refundable, but has anyone ever found a way to get around this? Would it make a difference if I went directly through the airlines (Northwest and Horizon)? Any ideas at all? I realize its "non-refundable", and I agreed to those terms when I purchased the ticket. I did NOT, however, foresee such a drastic decrease in ticket prices. I also know that airlines are obligated to offer refunds under certain circumstances - just not sure exactly which ones. Goodness, this is "yahoo answers", not "needless criticism.com". I don't fly often, and I know there is often a lot of oft unmentioned fine print that might be useful in situations like this. So thanks to those who actually answered my questions! My flight has been rescheduled 3 times - I will call the airlines and ask for the their refund policies concerning this.

Public Comments

1. it says right on the paper you print for your reciept that the tickets are non refundable, they will also charge you a fee on top of that
2. Don't blame Travelocity. Other than for consolidator tickets, resellers do not set the refund policies. Nor do they set the prices. The airlines set both. If Travelocity refunds your money, they won't be able to get it back from the airline and they will end up eating the loss. Don't expect them to do that, especially since price changes are beyond their control. In other words, you would have the exact same problem if you bought the ticket from the airline, from another website, or from a travel agent. Going to the airline won't help. They're the ones who have to give Travelocity permission to give a refund. Airlines are only obligated to give you a refund if they cannot fulfill their obligation to transport you to your destination. Essentially, the airline is required to give you a refund if the airline cancels your flight and cannot get you there on another flight. That's about it. They don't have to give a refund for price decreases if they don't want to. Airlines typically give refunds for the death of a traveler or an immediate family member, although they don't have to. You'll need a death certificate if you try that one. They don't take your word for it. I've also seen it done for people who are called for military duty as long as they could provide copies of their orders. They turned down pretty much everything else. I've seen airlines refuse refunds for illnesses, job losses, and a host of other reasons. Some airlines will provide vouchers for fare decreases. You won't get cash, but the voucher can be used as a credit towards a future flight. Call Travelocity and ask if that is an option. If that doesn't work, you're probably stuck. Sorry!
3. There is nothing you can do. Buying airline tickets is like the stock market. No refunds on that stock that's now worth 25% of what it was either. The only way you'll likely get this refunded is if the itinerary has had an involuntary reschedule (flight times, or flights changed outside your control) then you can get a refund.
4. Well, what does "the site DOES say that tickets are non-refundable" suggest to you? Lots of things happen that we didn't necessarily expect. Travelocity and/or the airline don't necessarily expect everything that happens, either. We all make our best guesses, then make our best choices. Then we live with them. Time to grow up! If prices had gone waaay up would you be asking how to send Travelocity more money?
5. non-refundable just means you can't get cash back, but you might be able to get a credit. That's better than nothing.