Travel insurance might be only way to get airfare refund

Since I had an important all-day meeting the next day starting at 7:30 a.m., the reason for my trip was gone. The gate attendant decided since hosting us overnight in Dallas didn’t work, and there was no other airline that could get me to Albuquerque by the next morning, that it was best to return us to Boston.

The airline offered us vouchers rather than crediting or refunding our money. We are not asking for any penalty money. We just want the actual money we spent refunded or credited. Any suggestions or assistance?

Arnold Soslow
Wayland

A. If you buy a product that doesn’t do what it’s supposed to, you have a right to your money back. But when it comes to travel we play the odds. Odds are you’re going to get where you’re going — even if it’s a bit late.

And then there are situations like yours when everything seems to go wrong. It is reasonable to expect your money back given the level of disappointment and the failure of the airline to deliver you to the promised destination. That doesn’t mean you will.

“Contrary to popular belief, airlines are not required to compensate passengers whose flights are delayed or canceled,’’ the US Department of Transportation explains in its guide to airline passengers’ rights.

When you don’t get where you’re going, you can hit up some airlines for a meal or a room, but, for the most part, forget about a refund. It never hurts to try to make your case higher and higher up the food chain. But you’re seeking goodwill, not the fulfillment of an obligation.

Wendy Shapiro Lanza of Flagship Travel in Marblehead said it is extremely rare that an airline will issue a refund — and only in a situation where an error was made. “Legally, the airline did what they had to do,’’ she said.

She suggested that travel insurance would have provided the only real out, allowing the recovery of the price of the ticket and expenses incurred. The DOT recommends “defensive planning’’ when going to an important meeting or function — going earlier than you might have to allow for delays or cancellations.