travelnews: TRAVEL TIP: Restrictive airfares - No Changes, No Refunds

[BAO news for travel administrators]

Travel Coordinators -

In 2015 we announced that airlines were testing a fare type called Basic Economy, a fare that allows no changes, no refunds and no pre-assigned seats.  These Basic Economy fares were offered in primarily leisure markets where travelers tend to book well in advance and make fewer changes than business travelers.  Airlines are now making these lower-cost, highly-restricted fares available more widely and in particular, in the Eugene and Portland markets.

Purchasing one of these tickets does not mean you can or will be bumped.  Your ticket is an agreement with the airline  - you have purchased space on the plane and they are obligated to get you to your destination.  You simply do not know what seat you will be sitting in.   The airlines have dialed in flight capacity so well that all flights are full and rarely do you hear announcements at the airport regarding oversold flights.

What is does mean is that if you might need to change your flight, a better choice will be to pay for a higher priced but changeable airfare rather than a non-refundable "use it or lose it" ticket.  Travelers and travel coordinators are advised to pay close attention to fare rules and restrictions, particularly when using an online ticket seller or booking directly with the airline.  When booking through one of our contract agencies, your travel agent will advise of all rules and restrictions during the booking process.
Thank you,

Laurie Jacoby, CTC
Travel Manager
Business Affairs Office
University of Oregon
lajacoby at uoregon.edu<mailto:lajacoby at uoregon.edu>
541-346-3158 - Voice
541-346-8078 - Travel Fax


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists-prod.uoregon.edu/pipermail/travelnews/attachments/20161206/77e0c8a9/attachment.html>