My sister-in-law has r/t tickets NY/Rome on Eurofly for May 25/July 5. Unfortunately, she wound up coming to Italy on a last minute berevement ticket with a different airline back on May 5.

She would like to stay longer with her father, and use the return Eurofly ticket, instead of the AA ticket she bought May 5/May 29. If she "misses" the outbound Eurofly flight on 5/25, however (because she's in Italy already because her mother died May 4)they have told her they will cancel the return flight. I was told that even if she begged, it was going to be CANCELLED (no refund either, but then she bought their cheapest fare). Experienced travellers, what do you think? Is there any hope of using this ticket?

It sounds like she has already asked them the question and they have told her that she will lose the return ticket if she misses her outbound flight. Short of appealing to whatever Customer Service department they have, I don't see how she will be able to use the ticket. I'm sorry for her loss, but it doesn't sound good to me.

A "nonrefundable" ticket may not be a total loss. Read the "terms and conditions" which accompanies the e-ticket. Maybe your sister-in-law can get a credit for a future flight less some "processing fee" so that the total amount is not a dead loss. Or will they allow her to change her current round trip ticket for a one-way ticket for a fee? It's rare that tickets from an airline are completely valueless if you can cancel before the initial scheduled outbound flight time - but any change will cost something. On legacy American carriers a change of a restricted ticket to Europe usually has a $200 fee.

I generally find the best way to get around petty restrictions is to go to the top - so try writing to the CEO and explain the circumstances. Very often you can get a positive result.

Augusto Angioletti - Managing Director

Corporate Headquarters:
Eurofly S.p.a.
Via Ettore Bugatti, 15
20142 Milano

or you could fax them on 39 02 82688010.

If you fax mark the cover sheet "For the attention of...."

Unless time is short I generally find letters are more welcome.

For the MD fixing this problem is as easy as saying to his secretary "See that this gets fixed".

I had thought that telling them she would miss the outbound, but still wanted the return, would be OK. Should be OK, as she paid for both parts of the trip! Eurofly is being absolutely inflexible on this, to the point I am considering never using them again (and we usually buy about eight r/t's a year, just we three, the rest of the family buys many more). I guess it's all in the fine print!

Thanks to all for your suggestions. We will have a neice who lives nearby go to JFK and plead with the ticket counter in person (not optimistic) and write to corporate headquarters, just to express our opinions if nothing else.

Beware Eurofly's cheaper airfare! The ticket is use it (as issued) or lose it. No exceptions it appears.

Maybe this just isn't Eurofly's policy...we've been told in the past that missing one leg of a scheduled flight will automatically cancel all other legs. Of course we always buy the cheapest, non-refundable tickets, but we've been told this on more than one US based carrier.

This is true on domestic tickets also. I leave for Italy Thursday morning and we are flying DFW to New York, then also on Eurofly directly to Bologna. My husband had a change of plans and has to come one week later. In order to preserve his NY to Dallas on July 21, he is STILL flying with us May 29 and then will buy a separate one-way return that same day! This is less expensive then forfeiting his entire domestic ticket and purchasing a one-way on our flight home July 21. It's all crazy round about, but I think the airlines caught on to the masses of people who used to buy the less expensive RT tickets (compared to one way fares) and only used one leg.

I am sorry for your loss. Any reason she chose a bereavement fare on American instead of going with Eurofly. The change would have been $200 and I doubt any fare difference. I have done bereavement to Europe and really, this price just waives the no advance price, so it isn't usually a bargain.

Eurofly had no flight available for four people on one day's notice JFK-Rome, so she went with AA. But in any case, Eurofly would not change her ticket for a $200 fee. They would not change it PERIOD. Use it as written or LOSE IT. Hard to believe, but true.