ZIPAIR's refund policy is short, but travelers get it wrong for a predictable reason: the answer depends on four separate things — the fare conditions, who cancelled, where the ticket was bought, and who issued it. This guide walks through each, in the order we use on the phone, and ends with the official ZIPAIR conditions so you can check every statement.
1. Fare conditions decide everything
ZIPAIR sells one fare family with optional add-ons rather than a ladder of refundable and non-refundable classes. The applicable conditions are:
| Ticket | Voluntary cancellation returns | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard (no Flex Biz) | Airport fees and taxes that are no longer payable — nothing of the fare or add-ons | Applies to both Standard and ZIP Full-Flat seats |
| With Flex Biz add-on | ZIPAIR voucher: 97% of amount paid if cancelled 30+ days before departure; 77.6% if 29–7 days; taxes only if 6 days or less | Voucher valid 180 days, tied to the original passenger; the Flex Biz fee itself is not refunded |
| Any ticket, U.S./Canada flight, cancelled within 24 h of booking and 7+ days before departure | Full refund to the original payment method | Cash, not voucher, even with Flex Biz |
| Charter flights (e.g., Orlando) | Standard conditions unless the charter terms state otherwise | No alternative dates exist |
Two practical consequences: buying Flex Biz is the only way to make a voluntary cancellation return most of your money, and the value of that protection drops sharply at the 30-day and 7-day boundaries.
2. Voluntary vs. airline-initiated cancellation
Everything in section 1 concerns a voluntary cancellation — you chose not to fly. An airline-initiated cancellation or schedule change is treated differently:
- If ZIPAIR cancels a flight, the fare, add-ons and taxes for the cancelled portion are refunded to the original payment method.
- If ZIPAIR changes the schedule and you do not accept the new time, the changed segment is refundable in the same way.
- Refunds are for the affected portion only. A cancelled outbound does not refund an unaffected return unless you also cancel it under the voluntary rules.
- ZIPAIR states it is not liable for consequential costs (hotels, ground transport, connections on other airlines). Travel insurance is the remedy for those.
ZIPAIR reserves the right to adjust schedules within a window around the original departure without a handling fee, so a small retiming is not automatically a refund trigger. Ask us if you are unsure whether your change qualifies.
3. Booking source
Where you bought the ticket changes the process, not the entitlement. ZIPAIR's rules apply to every ticket, but:
- zipair.net: cancel and request refunds through Manage Booking; the refund comes from ZIPAIR.
- Online travel agency (Expedia, Trip.com, Kiwi, etc.) or consolidator: the agency submits the request to ZIPAIR and passes the money back to you, usually after deducting its own service fee and often on its own timeline. Some agencies hold refunds as agency credit unless you insist on cash.
- Travel agent (including ZIPAIR USA when we booked for you): the agent submits and tracks the request as your representative.
- Package or tour operator: the operator's package terms may apply on top of the airline's; the flight portion may not be separable.
4. Ticket issuer: who actually refunds you
The party that issued the ticket is the party that must process the refund. ZIPAIR will not refund a ticket it did not sell you directly — it will refer you back to the issuer. Before calling anyone, find the issuer on your confirmation email: if it came from ZIPAIR the issuer is the airline; if it came from an agency, the agency is. This one fact avoids the loop where the airline says 'contact your agency' and the agency says 'the airline decides'. Both are right; the agency submits, the airline decides, the agency pays out.
5. Refund vs. cancellation — two different actions
Cancellation removes you from the flight. Refund returns money. On ZIPAIR they are separate:
- You can cancel and receive nothing but taxes (standard fare, voluntary).
- You can cancel and receive a voucher, not money (Flex Biz).
- You can be entitled to a refund without cancelling anything yourself (airline cancelled or changed the flight).
- A cancellation cannot be reversed. If you cancel first and ask about the refund second, the answer may be 'taxes only' with no way back — so always establish the entitlement first.
6. How to request a refund
- Identify the case: airline-initiated, 24-hour rule, Flex Biz voucher, or taxes-only.
- Identify the ticket issuer from your confirmation email.
- If ZIPAIR issued it: open Manage Booking on zipair.net, cancel the affected segment(s) and submit the refund request. If an agency issued it: submit through the agency's cancellation/refund form and keep the case number.
- Submit within 90 days of the scheduled boarding date — ZIPAIR's stated deadline for refund requests.
- Allow the stated processing time: card refunds are quoted at roughly one to two months; QR-code payment methods vary.
- Keep everything in writing. If the window passes, follow up with the issuer and, if needed, dispute with your card issuer using the airline's own schedule-change notice as evidence.
7. Official ZIPAIR conditions
This guide reflects those pages as of September 2026. If you find a discrepancy, the official page is right and we would like to hear about it so we can correct ours.
Questions we are asked most
Are ZIPAIR tickets refundable?
Not for the fare, unless you bought Flex Biz (voucher), cancelled inside the U.S. 24-hour window, or the airline cancelled or changed the flight. Taxes are refundable on request in every case.
How long does a ZIPAIR refund take?
ZIPAIR quotes about one to two months for card refunds. Agency-issued tickets add the agency's processing time.
Can I get a refund for a medical reason?
ZIPAIR's conditions do not provide a medical exception. Flex Biz vouchers and travel insurance are the practical protections.
Is a ZIPAIR voucher transferable?
No. It must be used for a booking that includes the passenger who was eligible for Flex Biz, within 180 days.
I booked through an agency and ZIPAIR cancelled the flight — who pays me?
The agency. It submits the request to ZIPAIR and returns the refund to you. Chase the agency with the airline's cancellation notice in hand.