NEW YORK — You booked your summer travel early, only to see the airfare drop. Before kicking yourself, you should find out whether you can recoup the difference. (Warning: In some cases, you’ll still end up kicking yourself.)
A rundown of refund policies from most of the major airlines:
• Most treat the adjustment to the fare like a change to a reservation and charge a fee. Travelers must factor in that fee when weighing whether to fight for their money back.
• Only three airlines offer refunds on any price drop — Southwest, Alaska and JetBlue.
• AirTran and Virgin America have $75 change fees, so the price drop must be more than that to warrant a refund. At Hawaiian, the threshold is $100.
• Unfortunately, refunds on the most-traveled airlines are more difficult. United, Continental, Delta, US Airways and American all hit you with a $150 change fee, meaning the fare difference would have to be higher than that to make it worthwhile.
Samantha Bomkamp, The Associated Press
