Which airline refunds 100% (or close to 100%) if you cancel?

Question

I need to book an airline ticket, but there's a good chance that I'll have to cancel. If I cancel, I want to get a real refund of $$$, not something to be applied to a future ticket. I'll probably book business-class or first-class, but I don't know yet.

Which airline does such a refund, and does it most generously? For example, Virgin doesn't do refunds, and Southwest refunds in a way that can only be applied to a future ticket...

Answer 1

Most airlines have different types of tickets, those cheapest are completely nonrefundable and as the ticket gets more expensive the easier they are to cancel, usually though it comes with a pretty hefty cost.  For instance, southwest does offer refunds in the form of your original payment but you have to fly Business Select.

Answer 2

i think that every airline lets you refund the money or use the credit for another flight.

Answer 3

Any airline that allows you to buy fully refundable tickets will allow you to get a refund on that ticket.  (Most, if not all, airlines offer nonrefundable tickets along with refundable ones.)  The restrictions you refer to typically deal with non-refundable tickets, which often can be reused with restrictions.

Note, though, that refundable tickets are typically more expensive -- on some airlines, a fully-refundable ticket can cost several times more than the cheapest fare.

Answer 4

Any airline will. It all depends on which sort of ticket you buy.