Here is my complaint-
E ticket number:
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
April 5th, 2016
TLV to JFK via SVO, SU 0501 & SU 0102
Passenger: ad120
I purchased a ticket from Kikar Travel travel agency on March 7th at approximately 05:07 PM
EST to fly from TLV to JFK with Aeroflot on April 5th, 2016. I called Kikar Travel on March 8th at 10:43 AM EST to cancel my tickets. To my dismay I was told by the agent that considering that Kikar Travel is located in Israel they do not have to comply with DoT regulations and therefore will not cancel my tickets and
refund me. When I explained to the agent that any itinerary including a USA city is subject
to DoT regulations she responded by saying "I don't care". After pleading with her seemed to be no avail
I quickly followed up my conversation by sending her an email with the official link to the DoT's rules and regulations. I have attached both a copy of that email as
well as call records to the travel agency. I am hoping this will aid you in resolving this case. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have.
What do y'all think?
DOT regulations require a 24 hour free-cancellation period
OR the ability to hold a ticket in advance without purchasing, but not both. Tickets booked via TA can be held before purchasing, and thus are technically exempt from the 24 hour cancellation rule.
Even so, TAs usually have both the ability to hold AND to "void" the ticket for free for a certain amount of time after issuing. However, Israel has an additional problem: tickets issued in Israel can only be voided until midnight of the same day. Even if issued at 11:58 PM, they can only be voided for 2 minutes, until midnight.
So while the TA's "bedside manner" may have been lacking, she is unfortunately 100% correct - there is nothing she can do for you even if she wanted to, and you have no legitimate complaint against her.