Last update: 10 March 2026

Help getting a refund from Etihad Airways during Iran / Middle-east disruptions

Of the three Middle East airways which are affected by the Iran / Middle East turmoil, Etihad Airways is clearly one of the worst.

Let us be clear: Everybody fully understands that the flight cancellations totally makes sense and that the safety of staff and passengers is the most important thing.

And even if you are stuck in Abu Dhabi now, there is not a lot you can do. This article however is aiming for passengers who still hold future flight tickets and have flights the next coming days or weeks.

For example: You have a ticket Amsterdam-Abu Dhabi-Bangkok for 18 March 2026. At the time of writing, that’s eight days from now. Your flight is still not cancelled, but on the other hand, neither has Etihad published a (revised) flight schedule. So you are still in limbo what to do.

According to article 9.2.2. of Etihad Airways own General Conditions of Carriage you are entitled for a rebooking within the Etihad-network. But this is not possible since all flights within their network are disrupted. Alternatively, they should rebook you with another airline. For example with Singapore Airlines or Cathay Pacific. Or as last resort, they should offer you a refund.

If Etihad Airways is not rebooking you via another airline, and you really need to get to your destination, and you are able to rebook yourself and have the financial funds to pay for a second ticket, you really should do that. You can always claim this alternative flight ticket. And you are going to win this 100% in court.

The only disadvantage is: you have to pay out of pocket in advance.

The General Conditions of Carriage of Etihad Airways:

9.2.2 Subject to Article 9.2.4, if we:

(a) cancel a flight due to be operated by us; or

(b) fail to operate a flight reasonably according to the schedule, fail to stop at your destination or Stopover; or 

(c) cause you to miss a connecting flight operated by us on which you hold a confirmed reservation, 

We shall, with due consideration to your reasonable interests either:

(i) carry you and your Baggage at the earliest opportunity on another of our scheduled services on which space is available in the class of service in which you were originally booked without additional charge and, where necessary, extend the validity of your Ticket; or

(ii) within a reasonable period of time, re-route you and your Baggage to the destination shown on your Ticket (or to an alternate destination requested by you and agreed to at our discretion) by our own services or another airline selected by us without additional charge.; or

(iii) provide a refund subject to the provisions of Articles 3.1.11 and 10.2.

Why if Etihad Airways refuses to do this during the Iran / Middle East disruptions?

If Etihad Airways is not helping you out, you can start a court case under the EU261-Regulation if your are flying out of Europe, or under UK261-Regulation if you flying out of the UK. If you are flying from other jurisdictions; you are covered unther the 1999 Montreal Convention article 19 and 22. See full text here.

You have a few options:

1. You can go to court yourself. In most countries consumers don’t need a lawyer if their claim is under 5000 EUR. This is a so called ‘Small Claims Procedure’. In general you only have to pay court fees which can get up to 300 EUR.
2. You can ask a lawyer to it for you. However, on top of the 300 EUR court fees, you also have to pay the lawyer. And we all know, that’s expensive.
3. You can assign your claim to an Claims Management Agency (like us). Those agencies typically take a 35% ‘no cure, no pay’ cut of the amount they get you refunded. We charge a bit less, 25% to be exact.

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There is a lot of noise with regards to passenger rights during this conflict. And if you are stuck at your destination right now, this is not going to help you to get out of there.

But….still, this thread might help you with getting your costs compensated afterwards.

1. To start, you can use this free and non-commercial tool, to determine if and which passenger protection regulations applies to your flight: https://eu261calculator.com/
2. If you’re flight is not covered under one of the regulations; sorry!
3. But if it does, you need to determine if this flight was disrupted due to an ‘extraordinary circumstance’. And let’s be clear, this Iran / Middle-East conflict is totally of the control by airlines. Hence: you are not elegible for compensation, such as 250, 400 or 600 EUR.
4. However, you are elegible for a refund of the costs you’ve made up to at least three days. War or no war, you can still claim this from your airline.
5. It’s important to keep receipts and/or invoices. Bank or creditcard statements are not good enough. Keep receipts for extra hotel nights, food, drinks (no alcohol), amenities, additional car rental.
6. You can only claim this from you airline if you keep your booking active. For example: you were due to fly Bangkok-Dubai-Amsterdam with Emirates. You are stuck for three days in Bangkok, you decide to cancel your Emirates flight and book a new flight with another carrier. In this case, you waived Emirates’ obligation to refund you these costs.
7. Of course, if the Airspace of Dubai is closed, you are unable to fly via Dubai. However, Emirates should have offered you an option with another carrier, for example a direct KLM flight Bangkok-Amsterdam, or with Cathay Pacific Bangkok-Hong Kong-Amsterdam. But the Middle East Airlines are not willing to rebook you to competitors because they want you to stick to them. In this case you should keep your booking active and if you want pay for another new flight yourself. After the dust has been settled, you simply claim for a refund with Emirates. You can do that yourself or use ‘no cure, no pay’ agencies like us. We work ‘no cure, no pay’ and take a cut of about 25% if you don’t want to fight the airline.
8. If you booked a travel package, you are even in a better position, since your touroperator needs to rebook you! This is not the case if you booked a flight only via an (online) travel agent. So you really need to have a flight and something else, such as car rental, an hotel or anything else. As long as it as ‘package’, you are good.

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We Buy Your Ticket!

Can’t travel?
Missed your flight?
Stuck with a non-refundable airline ticket?

Instead of losing 100% of your money…

We buy your ticket.

✈️ Non-Refundable Doesn’t Always Mean Worthless

Airlines love the term “non-refundable.”

It sounds final.
It sounds absolute.
It sounds like your money is gone forever.

But in many cases, that’s not entirely true.

Even when the base fare cannot be refunded, parts of your ticket may still hold value — such as:

• Airport passenger charges
• Government departure taxes
• Certain unused components

And that’s where we come in.

Why You Usually Can’t Sell Your Ticket Yourself

Many travelers think:

“I’ll just sell it to someone else.”

Unfortunately, airline tickets are almost always:

• Issued in your personal name
• Linked to your passport or ID
• Non-transferable under airline rules

While some airlines allow name changes, they are:

• Rare
• Expensive
• Often require paying the fare difference

By the time you calculate the fees, resale usually doesn’t make financial sense.

Second-hand airline ticket marketplaces exist — but eligible deals are limited and buyers are scarce.

So What Do We Actually Do?

At TicketRefund.com, we analyze your unused ticket and determine:

• What parts are legally refundable
• What airport taxes can be reclaimed
• What government charges may be recoverable
• Whether additional components can be extracted

We then handle the claim process with:

• The airline
• Or the travel agency

You don’t need to argue with customer service.
You don’t need to understand fare rules.
You don’t need to navigate complicated refund systems.

Let’s Be Honest About the Value

We won’t pay you the full ticket price.

We won’t turn your unused ticket into a profit.

We offer a partial recovery — often pennies on the dollar.

But pennies are better than zero.

If your alternative is losing 100% of your non-refundable ticket, recovering even a portion makes sense.

Why Airlines Don’t Tell You This

Airlines focus on selling tickets — not on helping passengers recover unused funds.

Many travelers don’t realize:

• Airport taxes are often only due if you actually fly
• Government departure taxes may not apply if you never boarded
• Refund rights vary by jurisdiction

Without filing a proper claim, that money typically stays with the airline.

When Should You Submit Your Ticket?

You should consider selling your ticket to us if:

• You missed your flight
• You cancelled a non-refundable ticket
• You couldn’t travel
• Your plans changed
• Your visa was denied
• You were a no-show

Even older unused tickets may still qualify in some cases.

Simple. Fast. No Upfront Stress.

1. Upload your ticket documents
2. We evaluate the recoverable value
3. We handle the process
4. You receive your payout

No resale platforms.
No name change fees.
No searching for a buyer.

We Buy Your Ticket — So It Doesn’t Go to Waste

If you can’t use your ticket, don’t let the airline keep everything.

Turn an unused ticket into recovered money.

Start your claim today and let us turn an unused ticket into money back in your pocket.

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Can You Sell Your Airline Ticket to Someone Else? (Short Answer: Almost Never)

It’s a common question:

“I can’t travel anymore — can I just sell my ticket to someone else?”

For train tickets, the answer is often yes.
For airplane tickets, the answer is almost always no.

Let’s explain why.

🚆 Train Tickets vs. ✈️ Airline Tickets: A Big Difference

Train tickets are often:

• Not linked to a specific passenger name
• Not ID-controlled before boarding
• Flexible in transferability

That makes them relatively easy to sell on second-hand marketplaces.

Airplane tickets are completely different.

Airlines operate under strict international security regulations. Your ticket is:

• Issued in your exact legal name
• Linked to your passport or ID
• Registered in global reservation systems

You cannot simply “hand it over” to another person.

Why Airline Tickets Are Usually Non-Transferable

When an airline issues a ticket, it creates:

• A Passenger Name Record (PNR)
• A registered e-ticket number
• A security-linked passenger identity

Airlines do this for:

• Aviation security compliance
• Immigration control
• Fraud prevention
• Revenue management

Changing the passenger name is not just editing a field — it often means reissuing the entire ticket.

And that’s where the problem starts.

Do Any Airlines Allow Name Changes?

Yes — but it’s rare and expensive.

Some low-cost carriers and a small number of airlines allow name changes. However:

• It is never free of charge
• Name change fees can be substantial
• You often must pay the difference in fare price

Here’s what that means:

If the original ticket cost €120
And the current price for the same flight is €250

The new traveler may have to pay:

• Name change fee (e.g., €50–€150)
• PLUS the €130 fare difference

In many cases, this makes the “resale” pointless.

What About Second-Hand Airline Ticket Marketplaces?

There are a few specialized platforms that claim to facilitate second-hand airline ticket sales.

However:

• They only work with airlines that allow name changes
• The number of eligible tickets is extremely limited
• The process can be slow and uncertain
• Buyers are rare
• The financial return is often disappointing

It’s not like selling concert tickets or train tickets. The airline industry simply wasn’t designed for passenger-to-passenger resale.

Why Airlines Don’t Encourage Reselling

Airlines operate dynamic pricing models.

Ticket prices change constantly based on:

• Demand
• Seat availability
• Time until departure
• Route popularity

Allowing free ticket transfers would:

• Undermine pricing models
• Create arbitrage opportunities
• Reduce airline control over inventory

That’s why most airlines prohibit ticket transfers in their fare rules.

So What Are Your Options?

If you have a non-refundable airline ticket you cannot use, you usually have three realistic options:

1. Let it expire and lose 100% of the value
2. Try (often unsuccessfully) to resell it privately
3. Recover what is still legally refundable

And that’s where TicketRefund.com comes in.

Selling Your Ticket to TicketRefund.com

Let’s be honest:

Selling your ticket to us will not make you rich.

We don’t pay full value.
We don’t pay market value.

We offer pennies on the dollar.

But here’s the key difference:

Instead of losing 100% of your non-refundable ticket,
you recover something.

In many cases, that includes:

• Refundable airport taxes
• Government-imposed departure taxes
• Certain unused components

We handle the claim process directly with the airline or travel agent.

No need to search for a buyer.
No need to negotiate name change rules.
No need to gamble on second-hand marketplaces.

The Bottom Line

• Train tickets? Often transferable.
• Airline tickets? Almost never.
• Name changes? Rare and expensive.
• Second-hand resale? Extremely limited.

If you can’t travel, your ticket is probably non-transferable.

But that doesn’t mean it’s completely worthless.

Instead of losing everything, check whether we can recover part of the value for you.

Start your claim today and let us turn an unused ticket into money back in your pocket.

CLAIM NOW

What Is a PNR, an E-Ticket Number, and a Record Locator — and Why Do We Need One?

Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik

When you submit a refund claim at TicketRefund.com, we always ask for at least one important number from your booking:

• A PNR
• An e-ticket number
• Or a record locator

Many passengers aren’t sure what these are — or why they matter.

Let’s break it down clearly and simply.

✈️ What Is a PNR (Passenger Name Record)?

A PNR (Passenger Name Record) is the booking reference stored in the airline’s reservation system.

It is usually:

• A 6-character combination of letters and/or numbers
• Something like: AB12CD or X7YZ9Q

The PNR contains:

• Passenger name(s)
• Flight details
• Travel dates
• Fare type
• Contact details
• Ticket status

Think of the PNR as your booking’s digital file inside the airline’s system.

If you booked directly with the airline, the PNR is typically the main reference number you receive.

🎟️ What Is an E-Ticket Number?

The e-ticket number is different from the PNR.

This is the actual ticket issued for travel.

It is:

• A 13-digit number
• Often starting with a 3-digit airline code
• Example: 220-1234567890

Important difference:

• The PNR is the reservation
• The e-ticket is the payment-based travel document

You can have a PNR without a valid ticket (for example, if payment fails).
But you cannot travel without a valid e-ticket number.

The e-ticket number is often the most powerful reference when claiming a refund because it is directly tied to the financial transaction.

🌍 What Is a Record Locator?

A record locator is very similar to a PNR — but it is often issued by:

• Online Travel Agencies (OTAs)
• Travel agencies
• Booking platforms

Examples include bookings made via:

• Online travel websites
• Corporate travel agencies
• Third-party booking portals

Here’s where it gets confusing:

You may receive:

• One record locator from the travel agency
• And a different PNR from the airline

Both refer to the same booking — but exist in different systems.

The airline cannot always locate your booking using only the agency’s internal reference. That’s why having at least one airline-recognized identifier is essential.

🔎 What’s the Difference Between the Three?

In short:

• PNR = your reservation file
• E-ticket number = your paid ticket
• Record locator = agency booking reference

Why TicketRefund.com Needs One of These Numbers

To successfully claim a refund from an airline or travel agent, we must:

1. Locate your booking in the correct system
2. Verify ticket status
3. Confirm unused flight segments
4. Identify refundable tax components
5. Submit a formal claim linked to the ticket

Without a PNR, e-ticket number, or record locator, the airline cannot identify your booking.

And if the booking cannot be identified, no refund can be processed.

There is simply no way for us — or the airline — to recover funds without one of these unique identifiers.

Where Can You Find These Numbers?

They are usually located:

• On your booking confirmation email
• On your e-ticket receipt
• In your travel agency confirmation
• On your invoice
• In your airline account under “My Trips”

Look for:

• A 6-digit alphanumeric code (PNR or record locator)
• Or a 13-digit ticket number

The Bottom Line

If you want us to recover money from an unused ticket, we must be able to trace your booking inside the airline or agency system.

And to do that, we need at least one of these:

✔ PNR
✔ E-ticket number
✔ Record locator

Without one of them, the airline cannot identify your ticket — and no refund is possible.

If you’re unsure whether your document contains the correct number, simply upload it. Our team will review it and extract the necessary information.

Start your claim today and let us turn an unused ticket into money back in your pocket.

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What Are “Airport Taxes” on Your Ticket — and Where Does the Money Actually Go?

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When you look at your flight receipt, you’ll often see a long list of mysterious codes and charges labeled as “taxes and fees.”

Many passengers assume all of it goes to the airport or the government.

That’s not quite true.

In reality, the so-called “airport taxes” on your airplane ticket are usually made up of three very different types of charges — and not all of them are actually taxes.

Let’s break it down.

1️⃣ Airport Usage Charges (Passenger Service Charges)

These are the fees you pay for using the airport itself.

Airports are massive infrastructures that require constant maintenance and staffing. The airport usage charges help cover costs such as:

• Check-in counters
• Security checkpoints
• Boarding gates
• Escalators and elevators
• Toilets and cleaning services
• Baggage systems
• Airport staff and operations

These are often called:

• Passenger Service Charge (PSC)
• Airport Fee
• Passenger Facility Charge (PFC)

These fees are usually only payable if you actually depart from the airport.

👉 If you don’t fly, these charges are often refundable because you never used the airport facilities.

2️⃣ Government / Federal Air Travel Taxes

The second category includes taxes imposed by national governments.

These are real taxes — and they typically go into government budgets.

In many countries, these taxes serve multiple purposes:

• General revenue collection
• Aviation infrastructure funding
• Environmental policy measures
• Discouraging short-haul air travel in favor of trains or greener transport

Examples include:

• Air Passenger Duty (UK)
• Aviation tax (Germany)
• Federal excise taxes (USA)
• Solidarity or environmental departure taxes

Unlike airport usage fees (which go to airports), these taxes go to the state.

And again:
If you don’t travel, these taxes are often refundable because they are charged per departing passenger.

3️⃣ Carrier-Imposed Surcharges (The Misleading One)

Here’s where things get interesting.

On many tickets, you’ll see a charge labeled something like:

• YQ
• YR
• Carrier surcharge
• International surcharge

Airlines often describe this as a “fuel surcharge.”

But here’s the important part:

👉 This is NOT a government tax.
👉 It does NOT go to the airport.
👉 It is set entirely by the airline.

Originally, fuel surcharges were introduced when oil prices spiked. However, even when fuel prices dropped, many airlines kept the surcharge in place.

Today, it’s essentially:

• An extra revenue stream
• A pricing tool
• A way to keep the advertised base fare low while increasing total ticket price

Because it appears in the “taxes and fees” section, many passengers assume it’s mandatory government tax.

It isn’t.

It’s simply an airline-imposed charge.

Why This Breakdown Matters

Understanding the difference is important — especially if you didn’t use your ticket.

Generally speaking:

• ✅ Airport usage charges may be refundable if you didn’t depart
• ✅ Government departure taxes may be refundable if you didn’t depart
• ❌ Carrier-imposed surcharges are usually not refundable, because they are part of the airline’s pricing structure

Even if your ticket is labeled “non-refundable,” certain components of the taxes might still be recoverable.

Why Airlines Don’t Make This Clear

Airlines bundle everything together under “taxes and fees,” which creates confusion.

From a pricing perspective, it allows them to:

• Advertise a lower base fare
• Shift part of the ticket price into separate categories
• Increase flexibility in pricing strategies

But for passengers, it makes it very hard to understand:

• What is a real tax
• What goes to the airport
• What goes to the government
• What goes directly to the airline

The Bottom Line

When you see “airport taxes” on your ticket, it’s not just one thing.

It’s typically made up of:

1. Airport usage fees
2. Government-imposed aviation taxes
3. Airline carrier surcharges (not actually taxes)

If you didn’t fly, you may still be entitled to reclaim parts of the airport and government taxes — even if your ticket itself is non-refundable.

That’s where TicketRefund.com can help.

We analyze your ticket, identify refundable components, and handle the claim process on your behalf.

Start your claim today and let us turn an unused ticket into money back in your pocket.

CLAIM NOW