ArcaMax

Mansour Abado books a ticket for his father from Beirut to Austin, Texas, through Expedia. But there's a problem: The flight doesn't exist. Why can't he get a refund for the bogus ticket?

Q: I booked a flight for my father on Expedia, but when he went to the airport, there was no such flight. The reservation was from Beirut to Frankfurt, Germany, on Lufthansa with a connecting United flight to Austin. Lufthansa wasn't even operating flights from Beirut at the time, but Expedia sold me the ticket anyway.

I've been trying to get my money back for more than three months. Expedia keeps telling me that the refund is "subject to airline approval," while United insists that the ticket is nonrefundable. I paid $1,459 for a flight that never existed. Can you help me get my money back? -- Mansour Abado, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

A: You should never have been allowed to buy this ticket. Expedia sold you a phantom flight -- a route that Lufthansa had already suspended. When your father showed up at the airport and discovered that there was no flight, the online travel agency should have immediately refunded your fare. Instead, it hid behind airline approval requirements and passed the buck to United.

Your paper trail tells the story -- months of emails, phone calls and chats without resolution. Expedia kept resubmitting requests, while United sent you a form denial, citing its "nonrefundable" policy. This policy doesn't apply when the airline isn't flying the route at all.

Your father could have avoided some trouble by checking in for his flight early. If he'd done so, he might have been able to find a suitable replacement through Expedia and received a fast refund on his original ticket.

This case is a good reminder to keep an eye on flight schedules, particularly when geopolitical events might cause a flight cancellation. If you're flying out of an area that's prone to cancellations, assume nothing. And if you ever find yourself with a ticket to nowhere, remember that you're entitled to a full refund, no matter what the airline or online agency says.

When your online agency refuses to help, you can always escalate your problem. I publish the names, numbers and email addresses of the Expedia executives on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. A brief, polite email to one of them might have resulted in a quick refund.

I reached out to Expedia on your behalf. A representative admitted there had been a "system error" that prevented your refund from being processed. Expedia then issued a full refund.

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Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at elliottadvocacy.org/help/.

(c) 2026 Christopher Elliott

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