These past few weeks have been extra busy, so I’ll be playing a little catchup here on posts over the next week or three. Pardon the brief hiatus!
Last weekend I enjoyed a lovely adventure visiting Nashville with my father. Corvette Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame, the Grand Ole Opry, all the highlights. Of course I booked the flight on award points, as there was a good deal, if non-ideal return flight (late PM, arriving just after midnight). Last minute I decided to make a change, and figured I would eat the cost of the original booking as it wasn’t supposed to be refundable. Turns out I was wrong.
Booked a last minute United flight, scoring a decent discount with a $50 flight credit
Good thing I didn’t bring a roller. Basic Economy from Nashville to Richmond was only $115.50 for a same-day (8:35AM booking for a 11:45AM flight!) As a result of major delays over Christmas, I had a 1-year $50 voucher that I wasn’t planning on using, so scored a few bucks off. $65.50 for the two-connection flight (woof).
I was left with a checked-in, non-cancellable Delta flight leaving in the late afternoon
I had no expectation of a refund. I was checked in. Because I had a round-trip flight and the outbound (to Nashville) had already been flown, I wasn’t eligible for a refund. Until on my flight landing in Richmond I got a text that said “your flight has been delayed”, and lucky me that delay was enough for me to miss my connection. Ten minutes of Delta chat later, and I was told I was eligible for a refund or rebooking. Score that $5.60 booking fee & 5,800 mile refund.
The key takeaway here is that it doesn’t hurt to ask, and sometimes being patient pays off.
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