Looking for the quickest way to cancel your trip? Find it here.

It’s always disappointing to have to cancel or postpone a trip, but with the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), many travelers will have to do just that and we’d like to make it as easy for you as possible. If you have a question about how to cancel, there’s a good chance it can be answered here. If you still need help after reading through these FAQ’s, please visit our Customer Service page.

What’s the best way to cancel my trip?

Thanks to some new reservation management tools, it’s now much easier to change or cancel or change your plans online or in the app. Start by logging into your Orbitz account and go to your itinerary to see what cancellation options are available. If you can’t find what you need there, start a chat with the Virtual Agent on-site or, if your travel date is before April 30, fill out a cancellation form.

Your best bets for cancelling:

Cancel online from  My Trips. Login to your Orbitz account to access your reservation and follow the instructions from your itinerary to cancel.

Cancel using Chat. Click the blue  Chat Now  button from the My Trips page or from our Customer Service page. A virtual agent will help you with cancelling your booking and answer any other questions you may have.

Complete the Cancel Request form. If your travel date is before April 30, you can also cancel your reservation by filling out a Cancel Request form. You’ll need to provide your itinerary number, and the email and phone number you used for your booking. Once you submit the form, the cancel request will be processed and you will receive a confirmation email.

If your flight is departing within the  next 72 hours, click the Contact Us button at the top of the Customer Service page to speak directly with an agent.

What should I do if my flight is leaving within 24 hours / I travel in the next 1-3 days?

As noted, if your flight is set to depart within the next 72 hours, please contact customer service now for assistance. All other travelers should try one of our new self-service options online or in-app, or wait until your travel date is closer before contacting us.

Are customers with immediate travel plans being assisted first?

With the unprecedented impacts of COVID-19 around the world, many hotels and online travel sites are still focused on solving travelers’ most immediate needs. Right now Orbitz is focused on travel booked on our site before April 30.

Will I get a credit or a refund for my cancellation?

As always, Orbitz follows the policies of its travel partners. That said, we know many travelers are dealing with a lot of uncertainty right now and we’re doing our best to provide refunds or options that fit travelers’ needs where we can.

Many airlines are now offering credit toward a future flight unless the flight has been cancelled.

Many hotel bookings on our site offer free cancellation; for this type of reservation, simply go to My Trips and cancel. For non-refundable hotel stays booked on our site, we have either negotiated a refund policy when possible or are offering an Orbitz voucher equal to the total price + taxes and fees, so that you can rebook the original property within the next year.

I’ve tried calling several times and can’t get through to cancel—now what?

We know the spread of COVID-19 worldwide has created many challenges for everyone, and we are truly sorry for the difficulty our customers have experienced in trying to reach us due to call volumes that have been 5-7 times higher than average.

Please know we are working hard to answer all calls made to our Customer Service centers. At this time, we are taking hundreds of thousands more calls than we would normally expect to receive, even in our busiest of times. In addition to high call volume, recent government work-from-home mandates created additional challenges for our contact centers to navigate.

To mitigate these challenges, we encourage customers to try our new self-service cancellation tools, including Virtual Agent support and, if your travel date is before April 30, our cancellation form.  Importantly, in order to prioritize those with more immediate needs, we encourage only travelers who have trips within the next 72 hours to reach out to our customer service advisors if necessary. This will help us better support travelers with more imminent needs.

If I miss my trip because I couldn’t get through to an agent, will I still get a refund or credit?

For customers whose travel plans have already been affected by COVID-19 and whose travel dates have passed, we want to assure you that we are trying to help you, too. We will have further updates for these travelers as soon as we can and we appreciate your patience.

How do I cancel my vacation package?

We are working to improve the process for cancelling vacation packages on Orbitz. Currently, travelers with a vacation package should cancel each component of their trip separately. For example, if you purchased a flight + hotel vacation package, please visit our hotel page FAQ for instructions on cancelling your hotel, and our flight page FAQ for instructions on cancelling your airline tickets.

My airline says I have to cancel my trip through Orbitz—why do I keep getting conflicting information?

Our agents cannot cancel or change reservations booked on many low-cost and international airlines, including Aer Lingus, Easy Jet, Fun Jet, Norwegian, Spirit, Frontier and Volaris. You can find out if your airline is included in this list under “Exceptions” on our Customer Service page. If your airline is on this list, we cannot change or cancel your flight reservations. Please follow the guidance on the airline’s website and work with them to make the necessary changes to your flight.

For all other flights booked on our site, you may cancel or change plans from your itinerary or via one of the other self-service options listed here.

How do I cancel if my hotel is closed due to COVID-19?

Even if the property you have booked on our site is closed due to COVID-19, our agents can help you cancel or make a change. Please follow the regular steps to cancel here.

Will the travel insurance I purchased cover the trip I need to cancel due to COVID-19

Check your policy to see if unforeseen events like COVID-19 are covered. You may have the option to file a claim with the insurance provider. Please note that a refund is not guaranteed in this instance. If you still wish to cancel your hotel stay or flight through Orbitz you may do so.

Tagged: Feature