What’s the Air France Cancellation Policy?

If you’re looking to travel to Paris or beyond, there’s a good chance Air France has popped up in your airfare searches. Maybe you’ve even found a great price for an overseas flight, but between your work schedule and other commitments, you’re not sure you’ll be able to make the trip.

Here’s what you need to know about the Air France cancellation policy before you click “Purchase”.

Air France allows ticket cancellations on some fare types, such as Flex fares, but nonrefundable flights aren’t eligible for cancellation. Depending on the booking class, you might even have to pay a fee to cancel your flight — and some fare types only include the option to change your itinerary or travel dates, but not cancel entirely.

Also keep in mind that the Air France refund policy states that if you purchased a ticket through a travel agency, you must contact them first. For direct bookings, contact Air France directly.

If you haven’t used the ticket and it’s no longer valid, you’re only entitled to a refund of the taxes and fees.

If your plans change shortly after booking a flight, the Air France 24-hour cancellation policy allows for free cancellation of any ticket booked in the last 24 hours.

This is actually a U.S. Department of Transportation rule that applies to all flights originating in the United States. For the policy to apply, you must book a flight at least seven days before departure of the outbound flight. If your flight departs sooner than that, you may still have to pay cancellation fees.

You might be eligible for a refund after the 24-hour period if you booked certain ticket types, according to the Air France cancellation policy.

If you’re traveling within Europe, the following fare types can be canceled for free:

• Business class fully flexible.

• Economy class fully flexible.

And if your trip includes intercontinental travel, the following booking classes are eligible for cancellation:

• Business class fully flexible.

• Premium economy fully flexible.

Additionally, these booking classes can be canceled for a fee on intercontinental flights:

• Premium economy fare class S.

If your fare class isn’t on the list, the ticket can’t be canceled outright, and this is when the Air France flight change policy kicks in. In this case, you’ll be issued a nonrefundable, nontransferable voucher. Technically, it isn’t a refund since the money never goes back to the original payment method used to purchase the fare, and it can only be used with the airline.

Most fare types can be changed for a fee. Air France change fees vary and will be subtracted from the original value of the unused portion of the flight cost.

If your flight has been changed by the airline before departure, you can cancel the ticket for free. If you’re already at the airport and the flight has been delayed by at least five hours, you can also cancel the unused portion of the ticket for a refund, even if you’ve flown at least one segment of the itinerary.

The same goes for flight cancellations made by Air France. You can’t fly a flight that’s canceled, so you can request a refund if you don’t want to re-book your itinerary.

Additionally, because Air France is a European carrier, if your flight was delayed or canceled for a reason in the airline’s control, such as mechanical issues or crew shortage, you can ask for additional compensation.

If you booked directly through Air France, log in to your Flying Blue account and go to “My Bookings.” Pick the flight you want to cancel and follow the instructions. If you’re not sure whether your flight is eligible for a refund or a travel voucher, click on “View ticket conditions” for more information. Online refunds are processed at no additional cost and take no more than 30 days to complete.

If you’d like to cancel over the phone, dial 1-800-237-2747 or 1-711-833-2072 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

If you’re looking to cancel or change an Air France award ticket booked through the Flying Blue loyalty program, you can do so by calling the Flying Blue customer service line at 1-800-375-8723.

A fee of about $53 (50 euros) applies to changes and cancellations of flights booked with Flying Blue miles. It’s a small price to pay for the miles to be redeposited into your account. It also could be worth it to cancel and rebook a ticket if the redemption rate of the award has dropped significantly since you booked, which is always possible due to the airline’s use of dynamic pricing.

Some Air France tickets are eligible for refunds, but most are eligible for travel credits only.

The Air France 24-hour cancellation policy allows you to cancel a ticket for free as long as you’re within this timeframe. In all other cases, make sure to read the fare conditions for your ticket carefully before making any moves. If you booked an award ticket, you’ll be charged a fee to change your ticket or cancel and get your miles back.