Air travel is by far the fastest and most popular way to get from one point to another. Thanks to them, travel has become easier, and even families with young children often go to overseas distances to relax on the seashore. With the advent of electronic tickets, it has become even easier to organize a trip on your own, however, this fact has become the reason for some lack of thought in such trips. Often, travel documents purchased two to three months before the intended flight must be exchanged or returned due to unforeseen circumstances. Each airline is guided by internal rules for returning tickets, so you need to carefully study them when planning a flight with a particular carrier.
Today we’ll talk about returning Aeroflot tickets. Since this company is one of the leaders in the field of air transportation in Russia, it is not surprising that the vast majority of our compatriots use its services. We will consider in detail the possibility of returning Aeroflot tickets purchased via the Internet, because this particular method is considered the most popular among Russians of any age.
A few words about the airline
This carrier is one of the oldest in our country; therefore, it initially arouses trust among customers. In addition, the company offers its passengers a flexible tariff schedule, convenient payment options and a transparent ticket return system.
Aeroflot records its history from the twenties of the last century and today it operates not only domestic but also international flights. Initially, the carrier was wholly owned by the state, but in the nineties it was partially privatized. However, state control over the enterprise has not been lost; it owns fifty-one percent of the airline’s shares.
Each year, Aeroflot carries more than twenty million passengers, and if you include numerous subsidiaries in this amount, you can safely add more than ten million passengers.
Every year, the company's route network is expanding markedly. Its permanent schedule includes transcontinental and transatlantic flights. Aeroflot operates its own flights to fifty-one countries of the world, and with partners it has mastered almost four hundred destinations.
The carrier’s air fleet consists mainly of Airbus and Boeing brands. Deliveries of the new Irkut aircraft are also expected. The first such board will become the property of Aeroflot this year.
Buying tickets online
The company was one of the first in our country to switch to the sale of airline tickets through its website. Today, passengers have been purchasing Aeroflot electronic travel documents for ten years and find this method very convenient.
Its advantages have already been mentioned more than once, but we still cannot ignore this point, because only in this case will the craving for buying tickets via the Internet become clear.
First of all, passengers consider this method of acquiring travel documents on the company's website convenient, simple and safe. It gives you the opportunity, without leaving your home, to find a suitable ticket, get acquainted with the tariff plans of the carrier and make payment in any way. Passengers can make a payment using a credit card, through payment terminals installed in your city, and through money from an electronic wallet.
All data about your ticket is stored in the Aeroflot database, so do not be afraid to lose it. In this regard, there is no need to print the itinerary receipt before the flight.
Regular customers of airlines that often fly on different routes know for sure that tickets sold on the website are always much cheaper than at the box office or through intermediaries. The fact is that with this option, there is no need to pay extra for the work of the agency, a paper form and its design.
It is also worth considering that tickets purchased through the Internet allow you to check in for a flight directly on the carrier’s website. In this case, passengers can choose suitable places and even a meal option. In this case, you can not stand in lines at the airport while waiting for registration.
As you can see, this method of buying tickets is very convenient and cost-effective. However, numerous questions for inexperienced passengers are caused by the return of electronic tickets. Aeroflot provides its customers with very detailed information on its website, but nevertheless some nuances elude the attention of travelers. We will focus on them in the following sections of the article.
Talk about forced returns
Returning tickets, including Aeroflot, always seems to be an unpleasant procedure associated with many pitfalls. First of all, you need to understand that returns, according to the law, can be of two categories. The amount of money that will be returned to your account will depend on what you fall under.
So, the rarest return category is forced. It mainly happens due to the fault of the airline, and the following situations are classified under it:
- many hours flight delay or its complete cancellation;
- change of route;
- non-performance by the carrier of its obligations to passengers;
- refusal of docking in cases when a single transportation is provided;
- tariff change or inability to perform service at the purchased tariff.
Most often, it is in these cases that the passenger receives an amount equal to the time spent on the return of Aeroflot tickets.
Voluntary cases of return of travel documents
The Aeroflot ticket return policy allows the possibility of returning a travel document at the initiative of a passenger. In this case, the return is considered voluntary and is associated with various cases of force majeure, which absolutely anyone can encounter.
It should be borne in mind that in such situations, penalties will be exacted from the airline’s client. Each carrier determines their size in accordance with company policy. An exception may be a ticket refund due to illness. Aeroflot also allows for the refusal of numerous fines in the event of the death of one of the family members of a passenger who was supposed to fly on the flight of this air carrier.
Penalties: General Calculation Rules
Voluntary return of an Aeroflot electronic ticket (the paper form is also subject to these rules) is accompanied by certain deductions from the money spent, which are called a “fine”. For most air carriers, they are assigned according to identical algorithms.
For example, travel documents that fall under the full fare are not fined. It implies the ability to fly out at any time of the year and freely change the date to the most convenient.
Also, all airlines charge the highest penalties for tickets purchased at the lowest cost. In this case, there will be many deductions, and only a small part of the spent will be returned to the passenger.
It should be borne in mind that the air carrier on certain routes may set a restriction on return. In addition, significant fines are imposed on passengers who return tickets purchased literally a few hours before departures.Most often, it is impossible to return such travel documents; this nuance is stipulated by the rules of the air carrier.
What determines the amount of the refund and the size of the fine?
Penalties for the return of the itinerary receipt are charged based on the all-Russian rules and regulations established by a particular company. For example, when returning Aeroflot tickets (purchased online or at a regular ticket office), you need to consider a lot of nuances. An important role is played by the time at which the return is processed. The less time left before your flight departs, the greater the penalty you will pay.
In the case of a long flight, penalties will also be high. The most difficult situation is with long-haul and international routes. The air carrier will charge a significant penalty for returning the ticket.
However, the tariff at which you purchased the travel document plays the most significant role. It affects the very ability to return a ticket and the amount that you will be able to get back.
Tariffs of Aeroflot Airlines
The leader in air travel has a very flexible tariff system. It is quite difficult for an inexperienced traveler to understand it, so we decided to talk about it in more detail.
All travel documents of the enterprise can be divided into eight categories, but it is much more convenient to classify them based on the levels:
- Business Class. Tickets of this group are divided into “premium” and “optimum”. If you have paid for the premium business class, then there are no penalties in your direction. The optimum class implies a number of fines.
- Premium comfort rate.
- Economy class. This group includes several types of tickets: “premium”, “optimum”, “budget” and “promo”. The most difficult thing is to return the travel documents of the last two types. According to the law, they are considered irrevocable. The return of Aeroflot tickets of this category is practically impossible, the passenger can only receive an amount equal to the tax and the box office.
Keep in mind that if you purchased several tickets for a difficult route at different tariffs, then the refund will be carried out according to the most stringent of the available restrictions. For example, in the case when you have three tickets of the “premium”, “optimum” and “promo” class, you will receive only part of the paid money corresponding to the tax and the cash collection, as provided for by the “promo” tariff.
Since everything is extremely simple and clear with the delivery of travel documents for the “Premium” tariff, we will talk more about returning Aeroflot tickets of economy class.
Economy class: we consider tickets
Tickets in this category can be of two types: refundable and non-refundable. And this nuance should be taken into account by all passengers when purchasing travel documents, so that in the future there will be no problems in case of force majeure situations.
As you already understood, premium tickets are the most expensive in any segment. But they fall into the category of returnable and protect their owner from resolving issues on their delivery.
Refundable tickets also include economy class tickets in the “optimum” fare. Excluding penalties, the passenger will receive the full amount spent on the purchase. We will talk about the size of the fine in the next section of the article.
Tickets of the “promo”, “budget” and “youth” categories (it can be used to purchase tickets for people aged fourteen to twenty-four) can be classified as irrevocable. There are always a lot of problems with their return, but they are the cheapest.
Aeroflot: Economy Ticket Returns
If your ticket belongs to the “optimum” category, then the amount of the fine will depend on the direction of the flight. In the case of a route through the European part of Russia, the passenger will pay approximately one and a half thousand rubles from each travel document.
For those who were supposed to fly along the Asian side or between different points in the Asian and European parts of our country, the fine will amount to two and a half thousand rubles.
Cancellation of an international flight at the optimum fare
In case of cancellation of the flight on the international route, the passenger will have to pay more significant fines. The return of a ticket for flights to neighboring countries, the Middle and Middle East, as well as to Europe will be accompanied by penalties in the amount of fifty dollars or euros.
In all other areas, the fine is one hundred dollars. Flights to Japan may be considered an exception; for them, deductions are made in local currency (approximately fifteen thousand yen).
Economy Ticket Date
The amount of return of the Aeroflot economy ticket depends on the time of its delivery. First of all, keep in mind that the "optimum" can be surrendered only before the end of registration for the flight. However, having issued a refund per day, you will have to pay a fine of thirty-five euros. In the case when you have to refuse a flight for a shorter period of time, then as a penalty you must pay a quarter of the total cost of the ticket.
Moreover, these amounts are added to the previously announced penalties.
Refundable tickets: how to get your money back
If you were so sure of your future trip that you purchased non-refundable tickets, and now you are forced to refuse a flight, then it will be extremely difficult to return the money.
The full cost of the travel document will be transferred to you only in the case of a forced return. Since the airline is to blame for the refusal of a flight, it will bear all the costs.
But in all other situations, Aeroflot will only return service fees to you. This is always voiced in the description of the tariff plan. If you cannot fly out due to illness or death of one of the family members, then the money is returned at the “optimum” tariffs.
However, you will need to attach an explanatory, medical certificate of health status or death certificate to your statement. Aeroflot carries out a refund within ten days from the date of receipt of all documents.
Returning Aeroflot Tickets Purchased Online
It is extremely easy to issue a return travel document on the company's website. To do this, the passenger needs to click on the “Ticket Refund” tab and enter their data: last name, first name and middle name, as well as the booking code.
After that, you will see a page with all the information on the flight. At the end of the page there will be a return button. After clicking it, your request for a refund will be accepted.
Please note that in this way you can issue a cancellation of a flight only for tickets purchased on the airline’s website.
Instead of a conclusion
Of course, it’s good if your plans do not undergo changes and the trip takes place on time. However, in the event of a flight cancellation, do not worry, because with a thoughtful approach to buying a ticket, you can always return it and save your money.