RescueFLYR can salvage tickets

Brief
October 3, 2002

To help travelers reduce the financial hit from the tougher rules regarding nonrefundable tickets, the center's travel agency, Navigant International, is launching RescueFLYR.

The application, to be launched Friday, Nov. 1, will remind travelers via e-mail up to 72 hours before a scheduled trip to make any changes necessary on nonrefundable tickets.

If travelers know they need to reschedule but don't know when they're going to travel next, RescueFLYR lets them rebook the trip as far as 10 months in advance, locking in a date and avoiding a complete loss on the ticket. Navigant then rebooks the trip when the exact travel date is known. The changes result in $200 of change fees; airlines typically charge $100 for each change to a ticket.

The days of nonrefundable exchanges after the plane's departure are gone, but RescueFLYR will help to reduce the costs of unused nonrefundable tickets. The airlines' new nonrefundable ticket rules are designed to boost revenues amid the industry's worst slump. For more information, visit: www.navigant.com/Products/ValueAddedServices/ValueAddedServices.aspx.

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