Terms and Conditions

Read our Terms and Conditions carefully before making a booking with MikoFlight.

MikoFlight is MikoFlight Inc's travel-booking platform and the Company appears before the public as an independent travel-portal and a travel-support service both online and by phone. This is a long-form, web-friendly set of terms, which make repeated disclosures on agency status, pricing and fees, merchant-of-record responsibilities, fulfillment, and post-ticket assistance. The final text should be read by competent legal experts in advance of making it available for live use, to ensure that it complies with payment-processing laws and regulations both nationally and for the state and country intended.

To ensure the participation status of agencies accredited by ARC (and travel consultants that have been verified) the ARC's own ARC Check service is specifically created. This is important because ARC accreditation is part of the known travel-agency infrastructure of the U.S. market for ticketing and settlement and does not in itself convert an agency into an airline nor mean the agency is affiliated with an airline. These two are not identical, MikoFlight has nothing to do with an airline, is not an airline operator, and if it says it's an authorized travel agent of a particular airline for a particular purpose it is on a written statement.

Specifically: Prices are flexible and can change; the quoted total should include mandatory taxes, fees, and surcharges required by the various airlines for the advertised airfare (where applicable); the terms are not necessarily binding on the supplier or airline until the booking is made in the ticket form and/or the supplier sends confirmation; and/or there may be service fees in addition to those within the quoted price also, the refundability of the booking, its exchangeability, the payment of a credit, the no-show and exception policies, and the refundability of ancillary charges is often subject to complex and changeable airline fares rules and supplier procedures and will depend on the law applicable and likely the merchant of record.

Relax, airlines are supposed to either get a reservation or offer them a time to cancel the booking with a valid excuse, and a penalty of no more than $150—although airlines say they do not have to allow passengers to cancel online travel agency or travel agency tickets, and if they do it might be somewhat different. If a flight is canceled or significantly modified, DOT provides that if that flight is eligible for a refund the merchant of record is obligated to issue the luggage-only refund, and baggage, seat-related and other ancillary services refunds are generally handled by the airlines. Additionally, airlines have document requirements such as passports, visas and whether the passenger is ready to board, as well as check-in timelines and Secure Flight information. These realities are evident here as MikoFlight does not override airline contracts of carriage but uses the airline's inventory.

These Terms also address secure payments, fraud screening, chargebacks, cookies, privacy, disclosure of affiliate or sponsored-placement and fulfillment. The benchmark framework on payment security is the PCI Security Standards system for protection of payment data. The U.S. consumer guidance specifies that in certain situations, the cardholder is free to challenge a charge or request a chargeback—although the first step is to reach out to the seller to try to resolve the issue. ICO guidance on cookies and other technologies is based on the idea of transparency and about giving individuals meaningful clarity and explaining what they are consenting to. The FTC notes that "the need for and the sufficiency of a disclosure should depend on the context; if there is a material connection, then the disclosure must be "clear and conspicuous."

Identity, Scope, and Definition

The Terms & Conditions contained herein regulate your usage and access to MikoFlight web site, as well as your usage and access to MikoFlight mobile experience in case of visiting the web site via mobile phone, under the brand name MikoFlight, including all matters concerning booking, requesting tickets, exchange, cancellation, refund, waiver, reissue or any other matters relating to the process of booking the travel service through MikoFlight web site or mobile experience.

MikoFlight Inc openly outlines itself as an independent travel portal and in its published website encourages visitors to either travel online or contact via phone for assistance. In the context of these Terms, “MikoFlight”, “MikoFlight Inc”, “we”, “us”, “our” shall mean the platform operator as well as where relevant the platform operator ‘s authorized employees, agents, payment processing partners, technology suppliers, and service subcontractors, engaged by the operator, in the context of these Terms.

These Terms apply on your request to view, request a quote, create an account, to provide passenger data, during a payment, when requesting assisted support over telephone, on being sent an acknowledgement for a booking and when received a ticketing acceptance and on all requests for post-ticket support.

ARC accreditation and verification

By ARC's own description, ARC's public ARC Check product is a check to see if ARC-accredited agencies and verified travel consultants are participating in ARC. In practice, accreditation by ARC can help to place a U.S.-based travel agency in a recognized agency ticketing and settlement framework, but does not restrict an agency's legal identity to that of an airline nor does accreditation imply that the agency controls airline operations.

For the purposes of these Terms, therefore, the mention of ARC accreditation should be interpreted as relating to the status of the agency, and not to airline ownership, airline partnership, airline endorsement or airline operational control. Customers can use ARC Check to check themselves how they are participating on the ARC number mentioned above.

Independent agency status and airline non-affiliation

MikoFlight is an independent travel agency website. MikoFlight is not an airline, rather they are resellers. MikoFlight is not an aircraft company. MikoFlight is not responsible for any airline schedules, aircraft swaps, staffing, airport activity, baggage, check-in counters, boarding decisions or air traffic. Even if an airline is mentioned on MikoFlight, on a specific route, at a specific fare, with a specific brand name, city pair, flight number or timetable, MikoFlight is not affiliated with the airline, endorses it and/or is authorized to speak on its behalf.

The platform offers all that travel inventory and agency services. The air transport is provided by the particular airline or lines. This distinction is instrumental in determining liability, refunds, schedule changes, baggage, no-flight notices, flight uncertainty and upheavals, special-service approval and many other operational issues. This means nothing to change regarding conditions of carriage, fare rules, airport rules, security rules, immigration rules and operational decisions of the airline and the relevant authorities' which remain in charge not MikoFlight. For instance, public airline terms unequivocally identify that one particular traveler is supposed to be travelling with the ticket and that tickets are largely transferable, some of them are partly or entirely non-refundable.

MikoFlight may issue, request and service tickets as per the guidelines provided through an accredited agency, but this doesn't alter the underlying grounds of responsibility: we facilitate; airlines transport. Recurring wording in this document – for example, “subject to airline rules”, “may”, “depends on”, “not guaranteed until ticketed”, and “where applicable law requires”, include conditions that are signaling the way of the air travel industry, and demonstrate a commitment to reduce misinterpretation.

Definitions

For the purposes of these Terms:

  • “Travel Supplier” refers to any airline, a codeshare carrier, a partner carrier, a consolidator, a wholesaler, a GDS linked supplier or any other travel supplement carriers whose inventory or rules make up your booking.
  • Booking Request: The booking request may or may not be in existence before a ticket is issued or the final confirmation from the supplier.
  • Ticketed: If a person is ticketed, an airline ticket has been issued and/or a supplier reservation has been made and confirmed with a ticket number or PNR, reservation number or record locator, etc.
  • “PNR” shall refer to a file abstract detailing a passenger's name or an airline confirmation code / record locator. American Airlines, for instance, says its confirmation code is a 6-character PNR and to keep this confidential.
  • Merchant of Record: The merchant of record is generally the entity issuing a) refunds on airfares due for cancelled contracts in the U.S.-related cancelled reservations and/or b) significant change to such a contract.
  • “Service Fee” shall mean any Service charge by MikoFlight Inc for any Agency service, Booking Support service, Itinerary Research service, Manual Servicing service, Exchange service, Refund Processing Support service, Cancellation service, Waiver submission service, Special-service support services etc related to the agency service. Service charges are in addition to airline fares, airline charges, airline penalties, fares differences, taxes, airport charges and any optional service supplier charges.

Satisfying the requirements for Admission, Eligibility and Allowed Use

MikoFlight is only allowed to be used by legal participants that are able to enter into a contract. In practice that implies that you must be a minor's age or older in the jurisdiction you are contracting from, that you should provide accurate information, and that you should be travelling for a legitimate travel shopping/booking/booking services purpose.

Should you be booking for someone else or a number of travelers, you will take on the responsibility of that authorization and of all guests accepting these Terms, any limitations in the booking, and the supplier's terms. Some airline and OTA workflows are based on the assumption that all travelers on the same booking record travel on the same itinerary, and that an individual named traveler can not be filed for substitution after the booking record has been ticketed. The terms of public suppliers and airline companies typically disallow a name change, if it occurs at all.

Access and/or a booking request may be suspended, refused or cancelled when we have a reasonable suspicion that there is a violation of these Terms as well as a risk to the integrity of the payment process and/or a violation of supplier restrictions.

Conditions of the supplier and incorporated airline conditions

Booking on MikoFlight means you agree to these Terms, as well as to the rules of the Travel Supplier you are flying with. OTA comparison pages and booking terms routinely declare a booking may create a contract between the customers and the supplier, availability and fair conditions are regulated by the supplier's rules, and the drawing up of a contract of carriage by the airline is incorporated by reference into the air booking. They are found in such sub-subsidiary terms of the airline, as may involve limitations of liability, baggage limits, rules at check-in, refusal to carry, rights to change the schedule, rights to reroute, and claim deadlines.

Where there are any conflict between the terms and excludable terms included with each fare ticket or contract of carriage applicable to the underlying transport service, the applicable terms of the underlying transport service shall take precedence, unless the excludable terms in the applicable consumer law, contractual or otherwise, require a different result. No permission or right to use or publish has been removed from a statutory right which is not legally takable. Concurrently, the use of an agent to make the booking or to make a servicing request shall not be construed as a guarantee by MikoFlight that airline fare rules are waived accordingly.

Booking, Price, Fee and Payment

Booking media

Booking Media Definition Service-Fees Stance Notes to Customers
Online self-service You conduct your searches, comparisons, enter traveler details, calculate your total price and make payments online. It might not incur any assisted service fee at all, or just a lesser transaction/service fee shown at checkout. Faster and usually lower-cost, but you are responsible for entering all data correctly.
Assisted phone booking You speak with an agent who helps research options, explains fare conditions, enters data, and assists in placing the booking. A separate assisted-booking or contact-center fee may apply and may be higher than online fees. Good for more complicated itineraries, multi-city trips, queries about schedule risks, or travelers requiring assistance.
Post ticket service Requests made after the purchase of tickets including ticket exchanges, cancellations, waivers, refunds, name changes or requests on seating and baggage. Separate post-ticketing service fees may apply, in addition to airline fees or fare differences. These services do not necessarily come with booking ahead.

Dynamic Pricing and Fare Accuracy

Fares may change prior to ticketing as a result of inventory, booking class, seats available, route combinations, carrier imposed charges and taxes. This means that consumers searching online for market rates and fares will be notified that the “quoted terms” are only quotations until the passenger clicks the button to finish the transaction at the point of booking or after the travel provider has verified the terms.

Due to this, all quotes shown on MikoFlight must be understood to be subject to availability, subject to fare-rule validation, subject to supplier confirmation and subject to correction in case of a genuine error with fare and/or tax. The booking process can then be fulfilled in several steps: search, selection, payment authorization, supplier validation, issuance of ticket. If the fare is no longer available due to a change in the airline or supplier's inventory, cancellation of a booking class, taxes or surcharges are different, or the obvious answer was wrong, we offer to change the fare, provide an alternative flight, void/reverse (where appropriate) or cancel the pending request.

Another explicit repetition of clause, a displayed fare will not be considered a guaranteed ticket. Once the booking is confirmed by the travel company and issued travel tickets, then it becomes final, which includes the cost of their travel and any taxes and surcharges (the entire cost, taxes and surcharges).

Total price disclosure, taxes and surcharges

If OLADE is required to publish or quote the price of an airfare to a consumer to buy a ticket, DOT regulation provides clarity on this issue, making this quantity mandatory and removable from any APT indicated by the airline or displayed on its website. When an airfare is advertised and displayed on the screen to the consumer, to buy an airfare ticket, the DOT guidelines state that all the mandatory government taxes and fees must be included in the price of the airfare to be quoted to the consumer. Moreover, when relevant, there must be a "full charges statement" on display while making airfares available using the airline's approved e-ticketing system as per the DOT through the Comptroller. While this is true about the way airline pricing is built, IATA has a separate industry reference for its pricing on ticket and airport taxes and fees.

So, MikoFlight will strive to offer the overall total payable upon confirmation of payment, and also allow the customer to grasp the internal composition of that price, if the platform provides a breakdown.

Pricing Component Description Usually Payable at Booking?
Base fare Core airfare charged by the airline for the booked fare basis / inventory. Yes
Surcharge imposed by carrier Charge imposed by the airline company as part of the fare. Yes
Taxes, government charges and airport taxes Fees charged by governments, airport authorities and suchlike. Yes
MikoFlight service charge The fee for booking the ticket. Yes, if disclosed in the total
Additional airline fees Fees for additional services like bags, seat upgrades, etc. Sometimes; may also be paid later to the airline
Airport / border / entry charges not collected at booking Certain destination-based charges, visa costs, border charges, or locally payable amounts. Not always

No liability is assumed in these Terms because all travel-related expenses are not explicitly collected at check-out. Public airline or OTA terms often state clearly that the extra supplier costs for such items as baggage, seat choice, incidentals etc are variable extras/rewards to pay at a later stage or separately. The total amount we will be charging for will be disclosed in MikoFlight before payment, but other amounts, which may be imposed by us or authorities, depending on the itinerary and service options, may also be applicable.

MikoFlight Service-Fee Framework

The following schedule of service fees is presented in the format of an OTA service-fee schedule that is publicly disclosed. It is designed to be easily understandable to the customer and closely coded into the policy for use by internal staff. The maximum agency fees in USD or local-currency equivalent may apply as follows unless lower agency fee specified at checkout, or required by applicable law. These fees are not part of the airfare, the fare difference, government taxes or airport charges or any airline change or cancellation penalty.

MikoFlight fee category Fee cap / range Notes
Online self-service booking fee 0.00 – 50.00 per traveler Applies where a service fee is shown during website checkout.
Complex online itinerary fee Up to 100.00 per traveler May apply to multi-city, mixed-carrier, non-standard fare constructions, or manually validated itineraries.
Assisted phone booking fee 10.00 – 200.00 per traveler May be higher for complex, round-the-world, premium-cabin, or urgent manual bookings.
Alternative airport / date research fee Up to 50.00 per traveler Applies where a customized manual search is requested.
Same-day urgent manual ticket review Up to 75.00 per traveler Applies to urgent manual servicing where system automation is not sufficient.
Post-ticket voluntary change / exchange handling fee 25.00 – 200.00 per traveler Plus any airline fee and any fare difference.
Post-ticket voluntary cancellation for future credit 40.00 – 100.00 per traveler Plus any airline-imposed cancellation cost or credit restriction.
Post-ticket voluntary cancellation / refund handling 50.00 – 250.00 per traveler Applies to refund requests, whether or not ultimately approved by the airline, unless service has not been performed or law requires otherwise.
Name-correction / reissue assistance Up to 50.00 per traveler Minor corrections only if allowed by the carrier or validating ticket stock.
Waiver / special-case support 50.00 – 150.00 per traveler Examples: medical submission, bereavement, duplicate-ticket, visa, denied-boarding documentation, or no-show review.
Special-service request support Up to 35.00 request or 75.00 per traveler Seats, SSRs, wheelchair notation, infant linkage, unaccompanied-minor coordination, or similar requests are request-only and not guaranteed.

Some conditions for the fee structure of MikoFlight:

  • First of all, the fees are paid in exchange for the relevant Agency service and will not be refunded following the execution of the said service, unless this is explicitly provided for by these Terms or the policy is offered in the booking flow stating that the following agency services are optional, or because an invulnerable legal rule calls for a refund. Transaction and post-ticket fees are generally fixed, and are normally not refundable and do not include supplier fees.
  • Second, in certain cases, the cancellation or refund of an airline flight may be made shortly after booking and the ticket right may be still valid – in those cases, MikoFlight reserves the right to waive, reduce or refund part of its service fee. MikoFlight does not guarantee such an approach in its service, but reserves the right to apply a similar approach on a case-by-case basis as per its own discretion without any doubt unless mentioned in any written agreement with the respective customer for booking.
  • Thirdly, refusal to grant a refund, voluntary change, and/or waiver by an airline should not automatically preclude evidence from proving an agency action on the basis of denial alone. If MikoFlight investigated alternatives, contacted the supplier, made a request, documented, and/or re-established eligibility requirements, an agency fee may still be owed and/or irrecoverable.

Sample price calculations

Example Illustrative breakdown Illustrative total
Simple online economy booking Base fare 220.00 + carrier surcharge 18.00 + taxes and airport fees 46.00 + MikoFlight online service fee 12.00 296.00
Phone-assisted international multi-city Base fare 640.00 + carrier surcharge 52.00 + taxes and airport fees 118.00 + MikoFlight assisted-booking fee 70.00 880.00
Voluntary exchange after ticketing Fare difference 85.00 + airline exchange penalty 0.00 + MikoFlight exchange handling fee 50.00 135.00 payable to reissue
Refund request on refundable fare Original total paid 900.00 – airline refundable fare retained amount 0.00 – MikoFlight refund handling fee 50.00 850.00 estimated refund, subject to supplier validation and tax treatment
Non-refundable fare converted to future credit Original total paid 420.00 – airline cancellation penalty / credit restriction per fare rule + MikoFlight future-credit handling fee 40.00 Varies

The above examples are not guarantees of actual Fare, Fee, Tax and/or results. They are just for illustration of the common booking structure of air fares, taxes, airline surcharges, and agency commissions. Live prices and fare charges may vary, and any extra services that are not booked at the time of travel posting, or that are added on later by the traveler may add to the overall cost of travel.

Payment authorization, merchant of record and secure processing

All payments carried out on MikoFlight are done by MikoFlight Inc, via the payment methods provided during Checkout or offered by the agent during a compliant assisted booking flow. It will matter what descriptor your flight's financial statement carries since DOT claims that if there is no airfare refunds on the flight and the airline is responsible to refund the passenger the full airfare if the merchant of record is obligated to give that particular airfare refund if the flight was eligible to have it in the first place.

If not explicitly stated during booking, full payment of the fees for MikoFlight is required at check-in. When sending payment information(s) you consent to MikoFlight Inc and its payment processors charging you the full amount displayed or quoted, including applicable taxes, payment surcharges and any fees announced to you. To prevent fraud, misuse of cards or settlement failures, we may pre-approve or otherwise validate a payment method before confirming it.

MikoFlight plans to leverage secure payment workflows and service providers defined by this type of payment-data-protection environment, but no online system can be absolutely free of unauthorized access, errors, failures or third-party compromises.

Payment failures, payment reversals and chargebacks

Otherwise, if there is a problem with payment authorisation, a payment is voided and/or if the payment is later declined, or is marked as high risk, or it is not ultimately processed due to settlement reasons, the booking request may be suspended, cancelled or never completed. However, a ticket is not ensured just because the underlying payment is not settled, nor because of a verification block on booking.

If you feel a charge is incorrect; copies sent twice to you; that you were charged for a service that was not provided, or that it was but was for the wrong customer or invoice then please contact MikoFlight to investigate. The U.S. consumer guidance from the CFPB suggests that the consumer first contact the company that sold the service and if needed, the consumer should contact the card issuer to dispute a charge or seek a chargeback. No provision in these Terms affects or waives any rights given to you by consumer law to contest a charge or correct a bill.

In parallel, in the event of a pending, live or active Travel/Service chargeback, we may suspend non-essential booking support until the dispute has been determined by us and may share our records with the Issuer or Acquirer to deny a dispute, we don't consider legitimate, abusive, or the same as the services provided. Depending on the outcome of the charge back, if successful, the booking may have to be repaid to commence further servicing. All fraudulent or bad faith chargebacks will be cancelled; future bookings may be refused and recovery pursued to the full extent lawfully possible.

Pricing errors, tax changes and currency conversion

The possibility of unknowingly incorrect fares or totals caused by technical or human error despite attempts to provide accurate information on such things exists. Usually, an OTA owns the right to change an advertised price and gives the consumer an opportunity to either cancel the booking or pay an increased amount of money before their travel. In the event of a true and reasonable pricing error, tax error error, stale inventory error or a modification in carrier surcharges, we may follow up with you at that amount and the choices available.

When the system displays all the information in the currency other than your native one, you may receive a somewhat differing amount from what you paid because of differing exchange rates, participation fees, foreign transaction charges, or bank processing fees. Agency fee tables that are available in these Terms, unless otherwise indicated, are denominated in USD to demonstrate the agency fees and for policy-capping purposes only, and equivalences in native currency are applied at charge time.

Ticketing, Confirmations, Cancellations, and Refunds

Compliance with policy and ticket issuance

Regarding the concept, MikoFlight's fulfillment policy is rather simple, but at the same time extremely essential for booking process completion as fulfilling a booking request means that a ticket was successfully issued and sent back to an online user via an additional ticket in the case of preliminary booking confirmation. Public OTA terms are also essentially the same, indicating that the first email might contain confirmation that your booking request has been received and that you will be booked for the day of the delivery or the day the ticket is sent (which is also the day the OTA is fulfilled).

For this reason, if it occurs, a booking acknowledgement, order number, payment receipt or ‘request received' message should not automatically be taken as the airline has finally accepted the booking. Ultimately, MikoFlight may need to confirm the inventory, put the booking in the airline queue or GDS queue, process the booking's risk check, manually validate fare or wait for supplier's confirmation of the booking before providing the final fare details.

Timelines for ticketing process and potential delays

Stage Status usually Time Important point
Searching and quoting Live fare or cached fare display Instantaneous The fare may get changed before issuing the ticket.
Payment authorization Card or other payment check Seconds to minutes Payment success does not itself guarantee ticketing.
Fraud / verification review Cardholder or itinerary validation Immediate to 24 hours May require customer response.
Confirmation dispatch Email / SMS / dashboard After ticket issuance You should review details promptly.
Airline verification Traveler checks the PNR with the airline After receipt of PNR Recommended, especially for complex or urgent itineraries.

MikoFlight Inc's own website claims that automated confirmations are done and requests that it be reviewed as soon as possible, as per the information contained in confirmation details. Confirmations and tickets numbers or reservation numbers are likewise the actual evidence of fulfillment emphasized in OTA examples. MikoFlight thus recommends that the customers check confirmation documents immediately, and report any apparent issue or discrepancy, as soon as possible.

Confirmation, PNR, and Airline Verification

Upon ticketing, MikoFlight will almost always provide a booking confirmation which will include names of passengers, itinerary, supplier name and a PNR (record locator or booking number or other identification). American Airlines says it issues PNRs of six characters and advises people to guard their codes, as a person with that code could see American Airlines booking information. But MikoFlight reiterates its infamous point here: never give out your confirmation code or PNR, unless this is crucial to your own travel management.

Once you've received your confirmation, you should:

  • Perform any spelling check of all names of travelers at the moment;
  • check flight dates, source and destination airports, and layovers;
  • Ensure passport and document fit for international trips;
  • Review the operating company on codeshare and mixed carrier trips; and
  • Confirm booking with the airline after the booking has been issued (when the booking is close or itinerary complicated).

The confirmation number is a good sign of a reservation being in place, but won’t change airline policies on check-in, schedule change, seat assignment, travel documents or ancillary purchase. Those still under the operating carrier's control, and follow the fare regulations that are part of the ticket.

Storing the book for 24 hours, 100% agency

As per the explanation in the DOT, the airlines have to generally elect to either hold or cancel a qualifying direct airline booking 7 days before travel subject to a 24-hour time limit or airlines may also expressly cancel a travel agency/online travel agency (OTA) bookings made 7 days prior to travel, irrespective of the 24-hour window. For instance, with an American Airlines direct airline policy, passengers will have 24 hours from booking to cancel their trip and get a refund if they booked on the 2 days before leave.

So we are here at MikoFlight with the following position:

  • Whilst airline law says cancellation will be permitted within 24 hours with no penalty, if you book directly from MikoFlight then there is no automatic cancellation for purely that reason.
  • If allowed under the airline fare rule, the supplier void rule or MikoFlight goodwill policy, then a cancellation, void or refund will be available within 24-hours.
  • A lessened fee or a waived agent fee may apply, but is not guaranteed, when the assisted agent process for cancellation occurs; it is only guaranteed when demonstrated in writing for each booking performed.
  • An unwind may not be feasible in a case where the fare is immediately ticketed, is a fare that is partially ticketed, contains non-voidable supplier content, or the agency has provided unwinding services on the fare already.

Make changes and trades happen voluntarily

All public airlines and OTA have this kind of clause after the sale where post purchase is limited and is subject to certain rules. Similarly, Delta says that Non-Refundable tickets can be changed or cancelled prior to departure based on applicable fees, differences in fares, and minute Name Change varies by the carrier.

If you request a change on an existing ticket MikoFlight will require that:

  • the airline/validating carrier has to allow the change;
  • New itinerary must have inventory that is eligible;
  • All fare discrepancies must be settled for;
  • Any airline fee or penalty for airline exchange/change applies if any; and
  • Any exchange fee for a post-ticket MikoFlight after the ticket is exchanged is done at our sole discretion and will be paid.

This is because the reissued ticket might have new or different fare rules from the original fare rule. Manual waiver, codeshare coordination, multi-carrier remediation may extend the time and expense for a change, compared to simple same-carrier date change.

Voluntary cancellations and future credit

With regard to a voluntary cancellation after any applicable initial cooling off or void period, the date of the beginning of the day the ticket was issued, regardless of the fare rule attached to the ticket, serves as the starting date. Most airline tickets are not refundable based on public OTA terms and if the airline does provide options for customer initiated cancellation, the value can often be deposited towards future non-refundable tickets for the same customer on the same airline – with restrictions, expiration dates, etc.

MikoFlight uses the following general framework as a result:

  • Non-refundable fare: Typically, when a customer cancels an airline booking, without the airline calling on the cancellation at the end of the void / cooling-off period, there are no cash refunds available to them; sometimes, however, a credit may be available in place of a cash refund.
  • Partially refundable fare: The part of the total fare may get refunded from the whole amount, the surcharge, and/or the taxes, as per applicable rules.
  • Refundable fare: Cancellation of ticket will result in the refund of fare less any agency charge if assistance needed.
  • Future credit: if a credit is allowed to be availed of in the future, it is often only the original traveler that can use it, and must be valid for a period of time, new-fare availability and booking-class restrictions must be respected, as well as specifications for reissuing.

MikoFlight does not issue the credit, it is issued by the airline according to its rules. Should the credit be used a second time, the new fare difference, reissue fee applied by the airline and any relevant MikoFlight exchange/booking fee may be applicable.

Refundable and non-refundable fares

British Airways explicitly warns in its published conditions of service that while 50% of the cost of many discounted tickets is not refundable a portion of the cost for some can be. Delta states in the public that a non-refundable ticket can be canceled before the flights and forfeited an eCredit with applicable fees will be refundable and that non-refundable tickets that are not changed or canceled before flights will be non-refundable. American Airlines says it also makes no cash refunds except in specific situations, including for "qualifying schedule disruption, death and military orders" and timely cancellation, with documentation.

For MikoFlight, these 'publicly visible' differences in the Airline class of operations are used as the actual basis for application of servicing rules:

  • If agent support is requested, the agent will communicate the handling fee with the passenger and it will be indicated in the ticket and can be refunded to the original form of payment provided the ticket is properly cancelled at the right time and supplier confirmation is made.
  • If the airline rule applies and the authorization to cancel is over, then non-refundable fares will have no cash value, unless the airline rule allows for a conversion to an airline credit card.
  • The typical basic / light / saver / web-special-style series of tickets may have the fewest choices and may even bar voluntary changes, and/or lower amounts of credits or no refund value.
  • The fares shown in the rule will remain the controlling factor on premium rates: they are not necessarily refundable if they are more expensive.

Airline cancellations, major changes in travel plans and other travel arrangements

According to DOT, consumers have the right to a refund once an airline cancels a flight and consumers do not report for the flight or refuse the airline's travel credit or an alternative option. DOT also provides examples of a significant schedule change or significant delay such as early departure, late arrival, change of airport, additional connection, involuntary downgrade, change of access for disabilities and others. In a change or substantial message cancellation, if the airline offers rebook upon cancellation, DOT holds that the airline is obligating the passenger to either rebook or else proceed without being compensated and must state to the passenger that they are eligible to a refund (which must be promptly processed if the passenger does not rebook).

When booking a MikoFlight the practical implications thus are:

  • If airfare is caused to be paid by someone other than the Merchant of Record above, for example, MikoFlight Inc, with MikoFlight Inc as merchant of record for the airfare, and the itinerary is within the scope of the applicable DOT regime, then the appropriate airfare refund will be performed when due.
  • When the airline is the merchant of record, the airline is normally the one to pay the refund for the airfare;
  • An airline usually collects baggage or other optional services (ancillary services) as part of payment, unless the fee was placed in a ticket agent's collection box.

Also, DOT clarifies that if the airline provides alternate transportation service and you refuse said transportation service or if you do not respond and do not travel, the amount of the refund should be returned to the method of original payment (or if non-payment were the method then the airline is not subject to a refund). In reference to credit-card payments, DOT notes 7 business days: 20 calendar days for direct-airlines payments for other types of payments. MikoFlight will make a good faith effort to conform to the laws and processors' schedules, if any, when we are the refunding entity.

No-shows, missed departures and missed connections

Due to strikingly adverse interpretation, the no-show rules are among the most severe provisions in airline contracts. Said differently, a no-show coupon will have no other value than in the case of irregular operations or where there are significant changes in the travel schedule. Most no shows, likewise, are not qualified for any supplier waivers and/or refunds, as outlined in OTA public fee schedules.

For most purposes, unless the airline rule, formal travel waiver (contractual waiver) or mandatory law dictates otherwise, MikoFlight assumes that no-shows will be logged as follows:

  • If you do not use the first available segment and you don't let the airline or MikoFlight know prior to the departure, you might risk losing the remaining value;
  • the airline reserves the right to cancel the other onward or return segments; or
  • In general, eligibility for a voluntary refund will be forfeited; and
  • Future-credit eligibility may additionally also be voluntary lost;
  • Some airlines might, however, issue irregular operations relief if reasons for not showing were in some cases due to airline disruption instead of customer error or negligence.
  • An airline cancelling a flight due to a customer missing the flight is an uncommon occurrence and is normally considered a customer-side issue – not the airline's fault – except in the cases of late arrival at an airport, late bag drop, failure to meet flight arrival/embark cutoff, or unavailability of the customer at the gate. That's why MikoFlight advises its customers repeatedly about check-in cut-off, fold-on time and document requirements.

Name corrections, name changes/reissues

British Airways, for instance, says on its website that names on tickets need to match the person traveling's passport and changing names (changing the traveler to someone else) is generally not allowed. If you notice minor name corrections (typo's, spelling, etc) they can be done by the validating carrier, may require re-issue by airline policies, and may require an airline re-issue fee as well as a MikoFlight processing fee.

Passports, Visas and Travel Documentation

It is the responsibility of the passenger to make sure he/she has adequate documentation for travel, including the proper and valid passports, visas, transit and reentry visas, health certification, immunizations and certificates, wherever needed. In most instances, the passport must be valid six months beyond the date of return trip.

Bags and Seat Selection

Meals, carry-on bags, seat selection services, etc. are optional and will be billed separately from the base fare, and may not be available. These are extra perks on optional bases, as per the carrier’s conditions. Any seat assignment is a request, which is under the full control of the operating airline, MikoFlight is not able to guarantee any seat assignment.

Liability Limitations

In no way is MikoFlight Inc. liable for all types of damages which may be either direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential arising from: (a) any delay, cancelation, rescheduling or failure by any Travel Supplier; (b) any accident, injury, loss, incident or damage to persons or properties; (c) any acts of the government, travel advice or weather disruption; and (d) any discrepancy in pricing.

Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms & Conditions and any dispute arising from your use of MikoFlight shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware (or the state where MikoFlight is legally registered), without regard to its conflict of law principles.

Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding these Terms & Conditions, please contact us at:

  • Email: legal@mikoflight.com
  • Phone: +1 (833) 543-2021