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Refunds from airlines take weeks. If you paid cash for a ticket then you can wait between 8 and 12 weeks for a refund. The money is first paid over to the agent who did the refund and then they pay it over to you the client. Yes it really does take this long in most cases. When you purchase a ticket the amount is immediately deducted from the agency. So when you apply for a refund the money is not sitting with the agency in the case of an Iata ticket. This means that the agency is not in a position to give you a refund until they receive money back from the airline. Yes it may happen the agency holds onto this money or is slow in giving the refund however rest assured that generally the hold up is with the airline. Remember it does not speed up the process by calling your agent every day .

In the case of paying with a credit card the refund is given and credited back to your credit card. This is a huge plus when buying tickets. This means that as soon as the airline refunds the money they refund it directly to your credit card which makes the process a lot faster and takes out the agent in the middle. This does not mean you apply directly to the airline for a refund, you will only do this in the cases where you have booked directly with the airline. If you have booked with an agent then the agent should apply for a refund on your behalf. Another bonus on the credit card refund process is that it is a lot faster than a cash refund. Reason for this is the airline refunds your card directly. In the case of a cash refund the money is returned to the agent in their BSP billing advise and most agents receive this every two weeks.

I hope this has clarified the process for you…

Here is some great news for some people who where not aware:

“This is to inform you that on January 13th, a new airline was born from the union of Alitalia and Air One.  This airline will maintain the strong values and the best traditions of Italian aviation, making use of consolidated entrepreneurial and managerial energies, a renewed fleet and an extensive network of connections in order to guarantee functional and efficient transportation throughout the territory. ”

This is great news in a year where one can expect companies and airlines to close shop…..Great news indeed.

What does eticket mean?

It means electronic ticket.

This means that when you book a flight you now get an eticket and not a paper ticket. A paper ticket is the ticket with what looked like a whole lot of vouchers in. You would use a voucher for each flight or ticket. Now days we use what is called an eticket and this can be emailed to you.

Your eticket must contain the following info:

• Your itinarery
• Your airline referance
• Your eticket number

With the eticket you can recieve on email you must print this out and use this *piece of paper* to check in at the airport. providing you have not made any changes then you can go directly to check in and they will use this to check you in. You no longer need a booklet of vouchers. Certain airlines are still using paper tickets however this is not the norm and almost extint now in the travel business.

Some points to remember is the importance of your eticket. It exists in the Airlines system so if you make any changes to your trip or itinerary then your eticket needs to be either re validated or reissued depending on the case and the rules of the ticket. This can be handled by the airline directly or by the agent. Hence the importance of choosing a great agent before you leave home. The beauty of etickets is that if you loose your *piece of paper* then you can print a new one.

Happy travels with the etickets!

First rule of a no show is to NEVER ever be a no show!

What is a no show?

A no show is someone who does not arrive and checkin for a flight. This is for any flight to any destination. If you do not arrive for your flight you are a no show.

Why is that bad?

Well the airline (most airlines0 have it written into the rules of a ticket that there are no refunds on in the case of a NO show. This means that if you do not pitch for a flight then you will not get any refund on your ticket. There is only one exception in most case and that is Death.

The airlines hold that seat for you when you book a ticket and if you do not show up for a flight then you face the full might of the ticketing laws and will not see any refund. This goes for your departure date/ ticket or your return date/ ticket.

Do not do it ever!

Is there a way around it?

Yes there is call your agent or the airline directly and advise them to remove you off the flight so that you are not a no show. Be aware of when your ticket is booked for and pay special attention to the times of the flight. In some cases even if you advise the airline or agent you could be in possesion of a non refundable ticket, in this case you will not get a refund regardless so be sure you take traffic into account and the final good byes….

While we are on the point of no shows: When you are transiting be sure that you go ahead and check in for your next flight regardless of how long the que is. This will save you getting left behind in a transit point. Be aware when you travel, ignorance is NOT bliss in this case so be aware. Check in for your flights and if there are any problems communicate with the airline or your agent immediately what ever time it is day or night!

SAA has kicked off the year with some amazing specials. You can fly to BUE (Buenos Aires) from ZAR3990 excluding taxes (This has conditions and a season to match) What an awesome special. Or maybe SAO: Brazil from ZAR3990 excl taxes

Wow thanx SAA these are great fares! Try a new continent in your travels.