The coronavirus pandemic brought many changes to the travel industry and airlines in particular. One of the remarkable changes in some major U.S airlines’ policies is the permanent elimination of change fees, which was triggered by United at the end of this August. However, not all airlines are ready to bid farewell to the fee.
Is it worth booking an award flight as soon as it becomes available? You might get the cheapest redemption or a hard-to-find first class seat on a popular flight, but your reservation will be about a year out. A lot can change in that time. Knowing how much you’ll have to pay to change or cancel that flight can determine if it’s worth taking the chance.
Planning the perfect travel award can be difficult and time consuming, which makes it especially frustrating when those plans go astray.
Most travelers will tell you that trip insurance is a must-have whenever you’ve got an expensive or extensive vacation planned. There are a host of circumstances—mostly unexpected—that can crop up and force you to cancel a long-planned vacation or even a last-minute getaway.
Virgin America is a San Francisco-based airline licensed by Virgin Atlantic. Its 21 destinations are mostly in the United States, with the exception of Cancun, San Jose del Cabo and Puerto Vallarta in Mexico.
Booking award tickets isn’t the easiest thing in the world. For true peace of mind, you would have to book far in advance–ideally 330 days out to guarantee availability. With nearly a year before travel though, things can happen that could impact your trip, so its important to know what the airlines policy is on award ticket changes and the types of fees they’ll incur.
It’s no secret. Airline fees are up. There are more surcharges today than just a few years ago. And sometimes they cost more than the flight itself. According to a study from USA Today, airline fees have hit a record high. Delta is now charging $400 to change an international flight–a $150 jump from three years ago.
When I worked in a university, it was always a game of chance making holiday travel plans. Our office almost always closed the week between Christmas and New Year’s, but you never knew for sure until less than a month before, too close to book reward tickets without a fee. I traditionally ended up on a short holiday trip followed by a staycation during the office closure.
