Many people are facing issues after finding their flights have been cancelled by airlines at the last minute. Despite this there are still many out there that wish to cancel or amend their bookings for their trip and airlines don’t always make it the easiest process to understand.
Unfortunately, most airlines don’t seem to offer the most generous refund policies if you decide you don’t want to take the flight you originally booked, but some are more accommodating than others depending on your individual situation. Because of this, it can often be worth checking your airline's policies before you book.
However, sometimes a last-minute change can't be helped and you may have no alternative but to cancel your trip. Here is a guide for cancelling or amending your bookings with some of the more popular providers in the UK:
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How to cancel a flight with Ryanair
Ryanair does not give you an option to cancel your travel plans with them, so if you’re unable to make a flight then you can always just not turn up at the airport. However, you are able to change your flight up to 2.5 hours before it’s scheduled to take off using the ‘Manage My Booking’ tab.
Flight changes will cost £45 plus whatever differences in cost there are for your new times and date. If you don’t take your outbound flight, you can still take your return flight with no problem. Also, if you’ve made a mistake when booking a Ryanair flight, they offer a 24-hour grace period when you can make changes to your booking at no extra cost.
It’s possible to get a full refund for your flight if you’ve experienced a recent bereavement of a family member, and it’s more than 28 days before your scheduled travel date once you contact customer services.
How to cancel a flight with easyJet
If you want to cancel an easyJet flight, you can do so by heading to the Manage Bookings section of their site, and entering your surname and booking reference (or alternatively logging into your easyJet account if you have one). Most easyJet flights are non-refundable unless it’s within 24 hours of making the booking, in which case you will be deducted a £49 fee from your refund for cancellations done online. This costs £55 for those done through the customer service team.
It may also be possible to get a refund or equivalent flight voucher if you’ve recently experienced a bereavement within your family, but this remains at the discretion of the airline.
How to cancel a flight with TUI
You can cancel a TUI flight online if it’s part of a package holiday and is a TUI Airways flight, by going to the Manage my Booking tab on the TUI website or app. If it’s a flight-only booking, then you need to call 0203 451 2688 to speak to a travel expert about making changes to your upcoming trip.
In response to the Covid pandemic, TUI have introduced a flexible changes policy which means you can make changes to your booking for free right up until the day you travel if your plans have adversely been affected by the virus. This includes someone you’re travelling with contracting Covid, or lockdown changes being introduced in the destination you’re visiting after you’d booked which would significantly impact your enjoyment of the trip.
