Ontario student told she'd lose $4,000 after mistake made on flight booking

An Ontario student who was attempting to book two round-trip international airline tickets was told an error made in her booking could cost her $4,000.

Mandeep Kaur, a student in Toronto who moved from India for her studies, told CTV News Toronto she wanted to buy two airline tickets for her parents as a surprise because they’d never been to Canada.

Kaur said she found the airline tickets online but made a mistake while completing the booking.

“I was trying to book it for March 8, 2023, but I accidentally put February 8, 2023,” Kaur explained.

Kaur bought the tickets through the website Kiwi.com and said she tried to contact the website by calling and emailing them just a few minutes after she realized she made the mistake.

“Right away, I noticed it was the wrong date I booked. It was unintentional as I never wanted to book that flight," Kaur said.

She said she was told that by a customer service agent that, because of the type of tickets she purchased, there were no changes or cancellations allowed. The tickets cost her a total of $3,956.

Kaur booked the flight on Feb. 6 – two days before the flight she accidentally booked was scheduled to leave – which she said also contributed to issues while trying to seek a refund.

Air India, the airline Kaur booked her tickets with, says any flight can be cancelled within 24 hours of completion, as long as the departure date is at least seven days post-booking, which meant Kaur was ineligible.

Now, Kaur said she’s facing the financial consequences of her actions.

“It's just too much to take in because almost $4,000 will take a long time for me to save again. It is so stressful because if I don't get that money back I will have to work two jobs,” Kaur said.

When reached for comment by CTV News Toronto, a spokesperson for Kiwi.com said in a statement, “We are very sorry for the situation that happened due to a mistake of our customer. We have reached out to the customer and are trying to resolve the situation in the best possible way.”

“As a travel-tech company, we would like to stress the importance of double-checking all the information prior to purchasing the flight – the trip, the names, the document details, and making sure you have all the necessary travel documents. Mistakes like this can happen, and we will try to do our best to help the customer.”

After reviewing Kaur's case, Kiwi.com said in a statement that while she was not eligible for a full refund, it could offer her $2,349 cash or an airline credit of $3,000 – which she said was a relief for her.

Kaur plans to use one of the options to help her parents buy another pair of airline tickets so they can visit.

“It's very good news and even though what I’m getting back is not the whole amount I’m still very grateful," Kaur said.

Some travel websites may give you a better price, but they may have stricter policies if you need to change or cancel a flight. Always check refund policies carefully and double-check all your personal information, passport details, and flight information before booking a flight.