A free cancellation window is a short period after booking during which a flight ticket can be cancelled without fee and refunded in full.
A free cancellation window is a short period after booking during which a flight ticket can be cancelled without fee and refunded in full.
Also called: 24-hour rule.
How it works#
In the United States such a window is required by regulation, provided the booking is made sufficiently far ahead of departure. Europe has no general right of withdrawal for flight bookings; there the fare rules decide whether any window exists. Anyone using it checks first whether the airline refunds or only issues a credit, and whether agency fees remain payable.
Not to be confused with#
A free cancellation window is not the same as consumer withdrawal rights for online purchases: in the EU those rights explicitly exclude transport contracts.
In German#
The German term is Kostenfreie Stornofrist. German version of this term
Related terms#
- Fare rules: Fare rules are the conditions attached to a specific airfare covering changes, refunds, validity, stopovers and mileage earning.
- Error fare: An error fare is a fare published by mistake far below normal levels, typically through a keying error or a currency mix-up.
- Refund: A refund is the repayment of the fare when a flight is cancelled or the passenger no longer wants to travel after a disruption.
Articles that use this term#
TopicEvery article and term onBooking and flight search.