United’s New Refund Policy: One More Reason to Stay Home
Photo Credit: United Airlines has asked employees to be stingier with refunds. Pictured is an agent at Houston Intercontinental. United Airlines
Skift Take
United Airlines can do anything it wants to save its business. But we caution the airline against changing the rules after people buy tickets. Do that enough, and travelers will stop trusting you.
UPDATE: A day after this story was published, United Airlines changed its refund policy for a third time in one week. Now, passengers can receive a refund if United cancels their flight and rebooks them more than six hours earlier or earlier.
"The relatively small percentage of customers who are delayed by more than 2 hours, but less than 6 hours, are eligible to cancel and retain the value of their ticket for future use, and in the case of special circumstances can work with our customer contact center to find a resolution," a United spokeswoman said.
ORIGINAL STORY: Should you trust a business that changes its guidelines on refunds after you buy?
It's a question some frequent flyers and I asked over the weekend in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, after a source pointed me to a change United Airlines made on its website. The policy change covered when passengers could get a refund after the airline messed up their plans.
If you bought a ticket before Saturday, March 7
