AddisFly - Refund Waivers — Death, Illness and Restricted Tickets
Our refund pages tell you how to use a waiver code — TRFP/T-ticket/W-waiver_code. None of them tells you how to get one, which is the part that leaves a customer waiting. This page is that part.
What a waiver actually is
A waiver is the airline's written permission to refund or change a ticket outside its fare rules. Without it the GDS will refuse, and forcing a refund the fare rules do not allow is how we collect an ADM later — see ADM Prevention.
You cannot grant a waiver. Only the airline can. Our job is to ask properly, with evidence, and to keep the customer informed while we wait.
When a waiver is usually needed — and when it is not
| Situation | What applies |
|---|---|
| Airline cancelled or changed the schedule | No waiver needed — this is involuntary. Refund at zero penalty (/P-0). See Involuntary Refund |
| Death of the passenger | Waiver, with a death certificate |
| Death of an immediate family member | Waiver, with a death certificate and proof of relationship |
| Serious illness preventing travel | Waiver, with a medical certificate, usually dated before departure |
| Visa refused | Airline-dependent. Some consider it, many do not. Ask before promising anything |
| Customer changed their mind | No waiver. Normal fare rules and penalties apply |
Requirements differ by airline and change without notice. Confirm the current evidence list with the airline desk before telling the customer what to send.
The steps
- Establish the ground and get the documents first. Ask for the certificate up front; an airline will not open a case on a phone description.
- Do not cancel or refund anything yet. A ticket refunded at the wrong penalty cannot be un-refunded, and a cancelled coupon can make the waiver harder to obtain.
- Contact the airline's refund or sales desk with the ticket number, the passenger name, the ground, and the attached evidence.
- Record the waiver code and who issued it on the booking the moment it arrives. It is the only proof we had authority, and it is the first thing asked for if an ADM follows.
- Process the refund with the code — the commands are in GDS Refund Commands.
- Tell the customer where it stands at each of these steps, not only at the end.
What to tell the customer about timing
Two clocks, and confusing them is what makes people feel ignored:
- Getting the waiver — the airline's decision. Days, sometimes longer, and we do not control it.
- The money — once refunded, 7–14 business days through BSP settlement, per our Refund Policy.
Never promise a waiver before the airline has given one, and never quote the 7–14 days until the refund is actually filed. Say which stage we are at.
Death cases — handle differently
One of these is open in our register right now: a passenger died in flight, having bought both a ticket and a visa through us.
- Answer the family the same day, even if the answer is only "I have your case and here is what I am doing."
- One person owns the case end to end. A grieving family should not have to re-explain to a second agent.
- Deal with the whole file, not just the ticket: any visa, EMD, guarantee deposit or unused ancillary also needs a decision.
- Ask once for documents. Requesting the same certificate twice is the thing people remember.
- Do not quote penalties to the next of kin before you have asked the airline. In most death cases the airline waives them.