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After an airline cancellation, should my online travel agency or the airline refund the airfare under U.S. rules?

Start with the seller shown on the payment record: the business shown as taking payment for the airfare. Booking on an agency website does not necessarily mean the agency collected the money. Once a qualifying refund is chosen, direct the airfare request to the responsible merchant and keep the airline’s cancellation evidence with it.

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What this answer depends on

  • Air transportation to, from or within the United States covered by the cited US provision. Airport location, operating-carrier and itinerary conditions in the answer remain essential.
  • Under the U.S. framework, the seller shown on the payment record determines whether the airline or ticket agent is responsible for the covered airfare refund. The payment statement is a practical way to identify that merchant.
  • Ticket agents have refund obligations for qualifying cancellations and significant changes under 14 CFR 399.80(l).
  • Refunds for airline ancillary services that were not provided are an airline responsibility even when a ticket agent was the airfare merchant.
  • The booking channel materially changes the recipient. The cancellation is an airline event, but the airfare merchant may be the OTA; unprovided airline extras can require a separate airline request.

Important exceptions

  • A separate agency service fee may have its own disclosed terms; do not silently add it to a legally required airline-fare refund. Packages, split payments and multiple ticket numbers may require transaction-by-transaction analysis. This page does not determine a card dispute or reverse a payment.

What to do next

  1. Inspect the actual airfare charge, not just the website logo on the itinerary. If the statement description is unclear, ask the agency and airline which entity was seller shown on the payment record for that transaction.

  2. Obtain the airline’s cancellation or significant-change notice and identify the unused flights. Include your decision to decline replacement transportation so the merchant is not left guessing whether you intend to travel.

  3. Submit an airfare request to the responsible merchant. Put separately purchased airline extras into a distinct list with their own receipts, because the recipient responsible for those items may be different.

  4. If the airline and agency refer you to each other, ask each to state its merchant-of-record position in writing. Send the conflicting responses together rather than opening a new case without the existing history.

  5. Have the statement descriptor, agency invoice, airline ticket number, booking reference, cancellation message, replacement offer and an itemized list of airfare and optional-service charges. A booking reference alone may not identify the payment transaction.

More booking questions

Does “contact your travel agent” settle responsibility?

It is a routing instruction, not proof of who collected the fare. Ask for merchant-of-record confirmation when the payment records point elsewhere.

Checked againstRefunds14 CFR 260.2 — Definitions14 CFR 399.80 — Unfair and deceptive practices of ticket agents

Can I request the same airfare from both companies?

Keep one clear claim for the same charge and disclose any payment already received. Parallel inquiries should not become duplicate recovery requests.

Checked againstRefunds14 CFR 260.2 — Definitions14 CFR 399.80 — Unfair and deceptive practices of ticket agents

Independent booking assistance

Need help with cancelling a flight?

Select your airline first. The phone option appears only when this offer covers the airline and request.

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