Refundability of Sweet Deal Tickets due to Visa Denial

[Starship]

Hello, SQ Talkers!

After being a lurker for quite some time, I've decided to sign-up to ask a questions that continues to bug me. Outlining to you my predicament below:

1. As a Philippine passport holder, I am required to have a Schengen visa before entering European Union. One of the requirements of the said visa is a flight reservation from the Philippines to any point in EU and back, which may not be necessarily booked and paid. Schengen visas are granted on a per-entry basis, unlike the U.S. visas which have validity of up to ten years.

2. I plan to take the risk of booking, not merely reserving, my flights, since I have a favorable standing of getting my visa approved (was granted visa in 2012 and even flew SQ back then).

3. I plan to book SQ MNL-AMS-MNL, strictly on sweet deals fare type (I can't explain why I'm being frugal here). The ticket is strictly non-refundable. I ain't willing to spend USD 300 more to avail of the saver deals.

4. I have been checking fare conditions of several airlines, however, only KLM explicitly states in its website that it would refund tickets bought, without any condition, in case of visa refusal. I've emailed and even called up the SQ office in MNL only to get this not-so-definitive answer: "We may request for a full refund of the Saver Deal ticket you will purchase, but there is no guarantee that the request will be granted as it is subject to the approval of our General Manager." I am not inclined to get the saver deals since I still have to spend USD 300, and another USD 100 to have my refund processed.

Here's my question: Can I be refunded of my sweet deal tickets due to visa denial?

Salamat.

[SQ228]

Welcome Starship!

I know when we are anxious and trying to make a decision sometimes obvious things seem less clear.

I'd say you have actually answered the question yourself and you won't get anything more definitive.

If you want the watertight guarantee, you will have to fly KLM.

If SQ have answered in a way that is not completely definitive, then that's because they are not offering you a guarantee. Accepting the sweet deal fare is a risk for anyone, but we do so because we feel very certain that we will fly on that day. You are most likely to be granted your visa and can't think of any reason you would not be, so it's probably a risk well worth taking.

But I guess that's easier for me to say in a wealthier country with no need for Schengen visas and if need be I could shoulder the loss without hardship.

[Starship]

Thanks SQ228!

The Schengen Visa is a predicament that Filipino travelers share with all of Southeast Asian passport holders with the exception of Malaysian and Singaporean passport holders. Believing that SQ is Indonesia's de-facto international airline, I was expecting SQ to get the same question from Indonesians wishing to go to EU.

Hope I can still fly SQ, not KL for that matter.

[SilverChris]

Since you don't need a confirmed ticket, why don't you contact a travel agent to make a reservation (can be any airline), and use that for your visa application?

[stargold]

Visa denial would not ordinarily give rise to the right to refund on non-refundable fares (except for a few examples e.g. KLM as you've shown), simply because it is the responsiblity of the passenger, not the airline, to obtain the necessary visas. As such, they have no responsibilities when the visa cannot be obtained. Refunds in such cases would be down to the discretion of the airline, just like any other case where refund is sought on a non-refundable fare.