Everything you need to know about booking an airline ticket in 2025 -- Part 3
From calling a travel agent to clicking an airline site to chatting with an AI, there are many ways to book air travel. Perhaps too many. But is there a best way to buy airline tickets?
Introduction
Here’s a guide to help you sort out buying an airplane ticket. This story was originally written as a single story. As editor, I have broken this down to three parts which will run during the entire week. Enjoy, read, and learn, hopefully.
What’s the outlook for air travel in 2025?
It’s hard to find anyone who thinks 2025 will not break records for air travel. It happened in 2024, and barring a catastrophic event or another pandemic, it will happen again this year.
Airfares will rise by less than one percent in 2025, according to a prediction by CWT and the Global Business Travel Association.
From a customer service perspective, my advocacy team and I are seeing much more use of artificial intelligence, especially in booking and customer service. While that’s not necessarily bad, I’ve noticed that AIs frequently overlook things that a human wouldn’t, like obvious refund errors or scheduling discrepancies.
Never hesitate to request a human agent when talking to a chatbot.
What do I need to know about an airline contract of carriage?
It’s an “adhesion” contract that applies only to you. The contract of carriage is one-sided, binding passengers, but not the airline. So, for example, if you cancel your flight before you leave, you may lose some or all of the value of your ticket. If an airline cancels the flight, it may be able to get away with it.
You can’t negotiate it. Think you can make revisions and send it back to the airline? Not a chance. You agree to it when you buy your ticket. In fact, you agreed to it without knowing that you agreed to it.
It can change anytime without warning. Airlines often revise their contracts, and when they do, they do not tell their customers. So the terms you see now may not be the same terms as when you fly. For what it’s worth, most contract revisions are fairly minor, but it’s still worth noting that they can change.
What does “nonrefundable” mean?
Nonrefundable means no refunds — usually. (Here’s how to get a refund on a nonrefundable ticket.)
Airlines will always refund a nonrefundable ticket if you die before your flight, sending the money to your next of kin. (Real helpful, I know.) They’ll refund a ticket if your flight’s canceled. Sometimes they’ll refund your ticket or waive their change fee if a close relative dies (as long as you can show a death certificate), or (even more rarely) they’ll offer a refund if you fall ill and can’t make the flight.
There’s a good reason why airline tickets are nonrefundable. Every empty seat is a missed opportunity to make money. An airline doesn’t get paid when a seat flies empty. But at the same time, airlines delay or cancel flights for all kinds of reasons, including the weather, acts of God, crew issues, and mechanical problems — often with few or no penalties. Shouldn’t the airlines show a little flexibility from time to time?
Airline deregulation
In the years immediately after airline deregulation, many airlines would allow you to talk your way into almost anything — including, sometimes, a full refund for a nonrefundable ticket.
Airlines weren’t just being Mr. Nice Guy; they were being Mr. Pushover, and it was costing them real money. After 9/11, the pendulum swung in the other direction. Perhaps too far in the other direction — resulting in policies despised by both airline employees and passengers, including one called “No Waivers, No Favors” that forced employees to stick to the published rules, no matter how onerous those rules were.
Airlines softened their rules a little after their profits returned. During the pandemic, they offered refunds when they canceled their flights and occasionally even when passengers canceled. But generally speaking, they’re still likely to stick to their post-9/11 playbook today, unless you happen to be one of their favorite elite-level customers.
What is code-sharing, and why should I care about it?
Codesharing is an agreement that allows two or more airlines to “share” a flight. So between New York and London, you can have a British Airways flight operating a British Airways aircraft, but it’s also listed as an American Airlines flight, “operated” by British Airways. Codesharing can be confusing to passengers, allowing airlines to shirk their customer-service responsibilities — which is why you need to know about it, the good and the bad.
Always pay attention to the flight details
The Transportation Department requires that every codesharing flight be disclosed at the time you buy it. So, look for “Airline X operated by Airline Y” when you’re making your reservation. Mostly, these are “Express” airlines operating shorter flights for a larger airline, but for long-haul international trips, it’s not uncommon to see three different airlines listed under one ticket.
Most of the time, the rules of the operating carrier apply to the entire flight
Airlines have different requirements for luggage, refunds, and miles, but remember: the rules of the first airline, which is known as the “operating” carrier, should apply to your entire flight. The government holds airlines to these agreements, so if you’re hit with a luggage fee on a codeshare flight, and the airline won’t refund the fee after you ask, then let the Transportation Department know about it.
If something goes wrong, ask the carrier that sold you the ticket for help first
The airline that sold you the ticket should take responsibility when something goes wrong, even if the problem is on the second airline, sometimes also called the “marketing” carrier.
When you have a question far from home
If your ticket covers multiple airlines, or you don’t know which airline is operating your flight, and you’ve arrived in a foreign airport, just ask an airline employee for assistance. Most airports have multilingual help desks, and they are usually well-versed in airline issues. Alternatively, ask your hotel concierge to call the airline, if needed. Make sure you know how early to check in if you’re far from home. It’s best to write that time on your itinerary before you even leave home.
Don’t get caught in the middle
Codeshare alliances allow for an infinite game of finger-pointing between the operating and marketing carriers. Don’t put up with it. Contact the Transportation Department, which will help sort things out. After all, airlines rely on the government for approval to jointly operate these flights, which can decrease competition. They don’t want to run afoul of regulators.
Whom should I contact when I have a problem?
Ideally, you won’t experience any trouble with your flight. Roughly 75 percent of all flights are on time. Your plane will probably leave as scheduled, and you’ll almost certainly arrive safely. You can find your flight’s on-time record online, using a search tool like FlightStats. But if you experience a problem, your first step should be to contact the airline right then and there. Don’t wait.
For example, say you have a problem with your in-flight entertainment system; the best time to speak up is now. A flight attendant may be able to reseat you, or offer you a drink voucher to make up for the trouble. That’s far more meaningful than holding in the anger and then sending an angry missive to the airline. That email that will likely be replied to with a form response and a meaningless certificate that must be used on a future flight.
Contact the carrier directly as soon as possible if you have a problem. If you don’t receive a satisfactory response, try one of the executive contacts I list on my site.
Many air travelers get in touch with me because they have a problem with an airline rule, specifically one of the rules relating to ticket changes or fares. That’s also a common complaint to the government.
Waiving airline rules
Airlines sometimes waive their rules during special circumstances. For example, if there’s a major winter storm approaching that affects their flight operations (or if a global pandemic has disrupted the entire airline industry), they’ll relax their change fee and allow you to reschedule your flight. But it doesn’t necessarily go both ways. If you can’t make a flight because of a natural disaster in your area that affected a small number of people, an airline probably won’t extend the same courtesy.
The U.S. Department of Transportation oversees domestic airlines. You can send a complaint to the DOT’s Aviation Consumer Protection Division. The best way to get in touch with DOT is in writing, through its website.
The DOT doesn’t mediate disputes, at least not officially. But if you can show that an airline violated its own contract, it will contact the carrier on your behalf. Nothing makes an airline move faster than an email ending in dot.gov. Even if it turns out that the airline was following the law, it’ll get you a fast response.
The system is hopelessly stacked against the passenger. Should I exact my revenge by becoming a travel hacker?
It’s true, airline rules can be so hopelessly confusing and counterintuitive. They’re just begging to be gamed.
Consider this scenario: You need to fly from New York to Chicago for two days, without a Saturday night stayover. The fares are ridiculously expensive. But you can buy two roundtrip tickets and throw away one portion of each one — a practice called “throwaway ticketing” — and pay less than that first option.
This is a perfectly legal use of a ticket, but it violates the airline’s rules, which, oddly, stipulate that you must use the entire ticket as issued. Here are details on fare hacking and why it’s a bad idea.
My advice? Don’t go for option two, because the airline has sophisticated tracking software that will hunt down your hacking butt and confiscate your frequent flier miles or even bill you the fare difference. And whatever you do, don’t get your agent involved in this kind of nonsense. Your agent could lose her ability to ticket the airline unless she pays a nonnegotiable “debit” memo, or fine.
How do I get DOT to review my case?
Put your complaint in writing
Even though you can call DOT, you will have more success creating a paper trail. Also, it will be easier to track. Here’s how to contact DOT.
Keep it brief. Find the exact rule or regulation the airline violated
If possible, point to a previous DOT decision or advisory that sets a precedent.
Be polite
Like all government agencies, the Aviation Consumer Protection Division is stretched to the limit. It can’t take every case. Your good manners will set you apart from the other, sometimes shrill, complaints received by the agency.
How do I persuade the airline to review my case?
Airlines operate call centers with thousands of employees whose job it is to quickly answer your questions. About half the customer queries come by phone. The rest come via email, snail mail, or some form of social media like Twitter or Facebook.
Unless you’re in a situation that requires an immediate, real-time resolution — for example, the airline canceled your flight and you need rebooked — I’d recommend sending something to the carrier in writing.
Why? Because it creates a “paper trail” that can be saved if necessary. This will show the airline that you’ve gone through all the right channels to get this resolved. While it’s true that the airlines log customer-service calls and sometimes record them, you’re not going to have access to those files. That puts you at a serious disadvantage when you’re trying to fix something.
Steps to resolving your airline problem
Always start at the front door
Send a short, polite email to the airline through its website. Every airline offers a “contact us” section. It may seem silly, but you’ll see why this is important in a minute. Offer a brief description of your problem and a desired resolution. Don’t forget to include your name, flight dates, and record locator, the alphanumeric code associated with your reservation. And make a screenshot of your submission, because otherwise, you’ll have no record that you contacted the airline.
Offer a concise, reasoned rebuttal
Most airline systems create a tracking number based on the query. This guarantees that no customer inquiries slip through the cracks. Be sure to include your case number in every reply. If the airline sends you a scripted “no” response after the autoresponder acknowledges your initial complaint, you’ll want to follow up with a polite rebuttal. Include any relevant documentation. That would include a doctor’s note, death certificate, or a photo of damaged luggage (with a date stamp).
Appeal to a higher authority, if necessary
We list the names, numbers, and email addresses of the airline customer service VPs in the Elliott Advocacy company contacts database. Be aware that it’s rare for them to become personally involved in a case. But your well-reasoned appeal will ensure that a senior customer-service employee will review your request.
And if that doesn’t work? Well, you know where to find my advocacy team.
Make your complaint short and sweet
What works? Generally, complaints that are tight and polite get the fastest resolutions. If you include all of your specifics and suggest a reasonable resolution, chances are you’ll never have to write an appeal. If you send a lengthy, emotional email, and don’t suggest a resolution, or if you make an unreasonable demand, like “two first-class tickets anywhere your airline flies” or to have a flight attendant fired for being rude to you, your complaint will likely end in frustration.
Can I sue an airline?
Yes and no. Because of a federal preemption provision to the Federal Aviation Act, you must sue an airline in federal court in most cases. But for smaller complaints, you can take an airline to small claims court. There, you can represent yourself, and the odds are fairly good that an airline won’t bother to send a representative. That will allow you to win by default.
What if the name on my ticket doesn’t exactly match my passport?
Airlines claim they “can’t” change the name on your ticket for security reasons. That’s more or less true 24 hours before departure, when the Department of Homeland Security scans all passenger lists for terror risk. But before then, the real reason is that they are protecting their revenues. The airlines don’t want to transfer the name on a ticket to someone else. They would lose the money they would have pocketed for a new ticket. As long as the change is minor — two or fewer letters — airlines should fix the misspelling at no charge. Remember that, by law, airlines must allow cancellations at no charge within 24 hours of ticket purchase. If you booked the wrong name just after hitting “buy” – then cancel it immediately by calling the airline.
How long should I wait for a response?
Airlines offer an immediate response if you email through a website. But that’s often nothing more than a polite autoresponder with a tracking number. For simple requests, expect to hear back within seven business days. For more involved queries, four to six weeks is fairly standard. (You can find more detailed information about this process in my article about fixing your own consumer problem.)
One of the most common questions I get involves refunds. An airline may take its time sending your money back to you. Wait at least two credit card billing cycles before panicking. I’ve had cases that took one or even two years.
If you request a refund of a package vacation tour, it will go through your travel agent or tour operator. If that’s the case, then the refund may take even longer.
Christopher Elliott
Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers consumers to solve their problems and helps those who can't. He's the author of numerous books on consumer advocacy and writes three nationally syndicated columns. He also publishes the Elliott Report, a news site for consumers, and Elliott Confidential, a critically acclaimed newsletter about customer service. If you have a consumer problem you can't solve, contact him directly through his advocacy website. You can also follow him on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn, or sign up for his daily newsletter.