Expedia says I have a $1,987 credit, but British Airways says I was a "no-show"

After a scooter accident, Jim Hutslar cancels his British Airways flight. Expedia offers him a $1,987 ticket credit. But British Airways refuses, claiming he was a "no show" for his flight. Is the money lost?

Question

I had a scooter accident recently. I had a flight scheduled on British Airways that I had booked through Expedia. I asked Expedia to reschedule my flight, and it sent me an email saying they had canceled the trip and that I had a ticket credit of $1,987 on British Airways that needed to be used within a year of my original booking.

I called Expedia last month to use the credit, and they said I had none with them, and that I should call the airline. British Airways said I was a "no-show" for the first flight, so they canceled the entire trip. 

I went back to Expedia, and they said I needed to ask British Airways about the refund. But British Airways won't give me my money back. Can you help me get Expedia to honor its ticket credit? -- Jim Hutslar, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Answer

I'm sorry about your scooter accident and hope you're on the road to recovery. Expedia should have honored your ticket credit request, whether British Airways considered you a "no-show" or not.

What's a no-show? It's when you fail to show up for your flight. An airline will cancel all the segments of your flight if you miss one segment. So if you miss a flight from Miami to London with a connection, British Airways will also cancel that connection. (Related: I want a refund from Expedia but it just wants me to leave a bad review for the hotel.)

It gets worse. If you're a no-show, the airline keeps your money and you get nothing. 

How to avoid erroneously being marked as a no-show for a flight

Unfortunately, this kind of thing happens too often. One of our readers wants to reschedule, but the airline marks them as a no-show, instead. Being a no-show is awful because the airline will just keep your money. Here's how to avoid it:

• Contact your airline directly. It's absolutely fine to deal with a third party, but you'll want to also let your airline know. Because sometimes, your online agency may miscommunicate your intentions.
• Get your cancellation in writing. That means getting a cancellation number and making sure it's in writing -- not over the phone. (Here's our guide to resolving your consumer problem.)
• Use your ticket credit quickly. If you're getting a ticket credit, it's best to use it before your original flight leaves. That way, there's no way for your airline to have you as a no-show.

Airlines love to mark passengers as no-shows and keep their money. But these strategies will help you avoid that trap. Remember, you're always better off getting a cash refund for your ticket, if possible.

What about your no-show case?

You have to let the airline know you're canceling before the first segment of your flight leaves.

But Expedia should have done that when you contacted it after your scooter accident. As your travel agent, Expedia is the go-between with British Airways, so it is acting on the airline's behalf. (Related: Expedia said it refunded my airline tickets, but it didn’t. What should I do?)

Getting a promise of a ticket credit in writing was brilliant. You had an email from Expedia that promised you a $1,987 credit valid for one year from your initial booking. It doesn't matter if British Airways considered you a no-show or not -- as your agent, Expedia is on the hook for that credit. (Related: This is how to fix an Expedia booking mistake.)

You should have leaned on Expedia to do the right thing. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of the Expedia executives on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. A brief, polite email to one of them might have fixed this.

As my advocacy team and I reviewed your paperwork, we concluded that Expedia most likely made a mistake in promising you a ticket credit. You were flying on a highly restricted ticket and were most likely only due a refund of your taxes. But we wanted to get Expedia's side of the story, so we contacted the online agency.

Expedia apologized to you. Instead of just refunding your taxes on your ticket, it gave back the entire $1,987. "I have taken note of this case and will share appropriate feedback with the relevant team to prevent such instances in future reservations," the representative added.

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 Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, or sign up for his daily newsletter. 

This story originally appeared in the Elliott Report under the headline, Expedia says I have a $1,987 credit, but British Airways says I was a "no-show".