Whether you’re heading to a sunny theme park or springing for a romantic Parisian getaway, booking your plane tickets takes time and planning. However, there is always an element of uncertainty when it comes to travel — and these days a variety of factors can disrupt even the best-planned vacations.

In such cases, you may be wondering, “Are plane tickets refundable?” The answer to this will depend on how and where you booked your ticket. Let’s take a look.

Nonrefundable tickets vs. refundable tickets

Generally, there are two types of plane tickets: nonrefundable and refundable. On the surface, this seems uncomplicated, but there’s more to it than that.

Refundable flights

As the name suggests, refundable tickets are fully refundable, meaning you'll get the cash back (not a flight credit).

To gain this convenience, you’ll need to pay a premium, which makes these tickets more expensive than nonrefundable airline tickets.

After booking, you’ll be able to cancel these flights at any time and receive a full refund of your original form of payment.

Nonrefundable flights

Nonrefundable tickets are extremely common; you’ll find them for all types of fare classes, including economy, premium economy, business and first class tickets. These will generally be the cheaper ticket options, with basic economy typically being both the cheapest and most restrictive ticket.

But can you get a proper refund of your money back on plane tickets even if they’re nonrefundable? Yes, there are plenty of situations in which you may still be eligible for a refund of some kind on a nonrefundable flight.

Canceled or changed flights

This has become especially pertinent in the past few years as flight schedules have fluctuated dramatically. The U.S. Department of Transportation has regulations surrounding the refund of changed or canceled flights.

If your flight has been canceled by the airline, you’re eligible for a full refund. This is true even if you’ve been rescheduled on another flight. You don’t need to accept that flight, and can instead ask for your money to be returned.

You’re also entitled to a refund for your ticket if your flight has been substantially changed. The rules aren't clear on how much of a schedule change needs to have occurred before the refund guidelines apply and each airline has a different approach. Delta Air Lines, for example, will give you a refund if your flight time has changed by more than two hours.

The 24-hour rule

The Department of Transportation provides protection for those booking in advance. As long as your ticket has been purchased at least seven days before departure, airlines must offer one of two things: you can either hold the ticket without paying for 24 hours or purchase and cancel the ticket within 24 hours and receive a full refund.