Group Booking Cancellation and Refund Policy

Group tickets do not follow the cancellation rules printed on an ordinary fare. The terms come from the group contract agreed when the block was confirmed, and they are stricter in one direction and more generous in another than most people expect.

The deposit

A deposit holds the block. On most group contracts it is non-refundable once seats are confirmed, because the airline has taken those seats out of sale for you. This is the single most important line to read before paying.

Cancelling part of a group

Most group contracts allow a proportion of the party to drop without penalty up to a stated date. The allowance and the date are both on your quote. Beyond that proportion, cancelled seats are charged — which is why an accurate headcount matters more on a group than on individual tickets.

Name change versus cancellation

Replacing a traveller is usually cheaper than cancelling a seat and buying another. Before the name deadline it is often free. After it, it is priced as a change, and on some fares it is not permitted. If someone might drop out, plan to replace rather than cancel.

Cancelling the whole booking

Refundability depends on the fare the block was priced from and how close to departure you are. Taxes are generally recoverable even where the base fare is not — a point often missed, and worth claiming.

What to do first

Read the cancellation clause before you pay the deposit, and get the drop-out allowance and the name deadline in writing. Two group quotes on the same route can carry very different terms, so compare those clauses, not only the price.