An airline shutdown can divide one ticket refund among several systems. The first step is to identify who sold and collected payment for each ticket, then preserve proof that the scheduled service was not provided.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) maintains a non-exhaustive database of passenger-protection rules because countries use different measures for cancellations, refunds and complaints. The applicable route may depend on the flight, ticket seller, payment method and country where a formal insolvency proceeding is taking place.

Identify the seller and the payment recipient

The airline named on the itinerary is not always the company shown on the payment record. A travel agency or booking platform may have issued the ticket and collected the fare, while another carrier was due to operate the flight. The card statement, bank-transfer record or receipt should therefore be checked before a request is sent.

For canceled flights to, from or within the United States, the US Department of Transportation defines the merchant of record as the airline or ticket agent shown on the debit or credit card statement and makes that merchant responsible for a qualifying ticket refund. That is a US rule, but the statement descriptor can help identify the payment recipient elsewhere.

A case record should list the booking reference, every e-ticket number, each passenger's name, the scheduled route and dates, the amount and currency paid, the payment date and the statement descriptor. Separate ticket numbers should be recorded for every traveler in a group booking. The record should also distinguish the ticket issuer from the operating carrier.

Capture the cancellation record before pages change

The evidence file should contain the airline's shutdown or cancellation notice, the original itinerary and a dated flight-status result. If the airline website no longer accepts logins, a screenshot should show the error, full web address and time of the attempt. A primary notice from the airline, airport, insolvency administrator or national aviation body carries more identifying detail than a reposted social-media image.

Any voucher, rerouting or postponement offer should be saved before a passenger responds. The record should show the amount, currency, expiry date, fees and effect on an existing refund request. Telephone offers should be followed by a written request for the same terms.

Assemble one evidence bundle

A single chronological file makes it easier for a seller, bank, insurer or regulator to see what was bought, what failed and what has already been requested. It should contain:

  • The booking confirmation, e-ticket and ticket number for each passenger.
  • The card statement, transfer confirmation or receipt showing the recipient, date, amount and currency.
  • The carrier's shutdown notice, cancellation message and a copy of the final booking status.
  • The written refund request, delivery confirmation, response and case number.
  • A timeline of emails, chat messages and calls, with dates and the names or identifiers supplied by agents.
  • A calculation that separates flown and unflown sectors, optional services and any refund already received.
  • The complete terms of any voucher, replacement flight or postponement offer, plus the passenger's response.
  • Receipts for replacement transport, accommodation and other claimed losses, kept apart from the original fare.

Files should retain the source web address and date rather than only a cropped image. Sensitive account numbers and identity documents should be sent only through the secure channel specified by the company handling the claim.

Send a dated request to the company that collected payment

The initial request should identify the transaction, explain that the booked service was not provided and state the amount sought. It should also specify whether the passenger wants money returned to the original payment method instead of a voucher or replacement trip. A case number and expected response date should be requested in writing.

If the company redirects the request, the passenger should ask it to name the responsible entity and explain the contractual or payment basis for the referral. Both the referral and the next submission belong in the timeline. This prevents a series of calls from becoming an undocumented gap.

Ask the card issuer about a services-not-provided dispute

A passenger who paid by card can ask the issuing bank whether a services-not-provided dispute is available when the seller fails to refund. Mastercard's May 19, 2026 merchant guide says this dispute can cover paid services that were not received, including travel arranged through an online agency or tour operator that has gone out of business; the cardholder's message must describe the transaction, the service and how it was not delivered.

The Mastercard guide uses different filing clocks for different transaction patterns, including the expected service date and the date an interrupted service stopped. These are network rules for institutions, not a promise that every traveler has the same period or will win a dispute. The issuer should be contacted promptly for its deadline, required documents and treatment of any provisional credit.

Cash and bank-transfer payments do not create a card-network dispute. Those claims remain with the seller and any applicable passenger-rights, insurance or insolvency process. A debit-card holder should ask the issuer whether its dispute process covers the transaction rather than assume that credit-card rules apply.

Use the rule that covers the flight and contract

A passenger's nationality does not by itself select the governing passenger-rights system. Departure and arrival points, the operating carrier, the seller and whether the booking formed part of a package can all matter. National and regional rules should be checked against the actual itinerary and contract.

European Union rules give passengers on covered canceled flights a one-time choice among ticket reimbursement, rerouting at the earliest opportunity or rerouting later under comparable conditions. The EU portal says choosing one option ends the right to the other two, although a separate compensation claim may remain. It also tells passengers to retain receipts for necessary, reasonable and appropriate expenses when required assistance was not provided.

United States rules follow a different scope and process. The US Department of Transportation says a passenger is entitled to a refund for a canceled flight to, from or within the United States when the passenger declines alternative travel, a voucher or other compensation. Its merchant-of-record rule also determines whether the airline or ticket agent owes a qualifying refund.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority tells passengers affected by a failed scheduled airline to contact a third-party booking agent first when that agent sold the ticket, and to ask the card issuer or insurer about any protection that applies. The page is guidance for UK consumers, not a rule for travelers in every country.

Keep fare, insurance and insolvency claims separate

A fare refund seeks the price of transportation that was not provided. An insurance claim may instead cover an unused fare, replacement transport or another loss named in the policy. The UK Civil Aviation Authority says scheduled-airline-failure cover can vary between the original ticket price, the unused portion and the extra cost of new flights.

Each process should have its own claim number, document copy and amount calculation. Any payment already received should be recorded so that the remaining loss is clear. If an insolvency administrator publishes a creditor form, the filing and confirmation should also be saved, but priority and recovery will depend on the law governing that proceeding.

Frequently asked questions

Should a platform customer contact the airline or the platform?
The payment record and ticket issuer should be checked first. If responsibility remains unclear, the same short evidence bundle can be sent to both companies with a request for a written explanation of which entity must handle the refund.

Can a passenger go straight to the card issuer?
The issuer should be asked about its deadline promptly, particularly when the seller has closed or stopped responding. A dated request to the seller and any refusal or failed delivery notice can strengthen the record, but the issuer decides what its process requires.

Does accepting a replacement flight or voucher preserve a cash-refund claim?
Not in every jurisdiction or under every contract. The passenger should obtain the full terms before accepting because the choice can end or reduce another remedy.

What if the fare was paid in cash or by bank transfer?
No card-network dispute is available when no card funded the transaction. The remaining routes may include the seller, the passenger-rights body for the flight, a package-protection scheme, an insurer or a formal insolvency claim.

Do extra hotel and transport receipts belong in the ticket-refund request?
They should be preserved but itemized separately from the unused fare. Whether those costs are recoverable depends on the applicable passenger rule, contract or insurance policy.