"Canceled After Five Days and Lost 770,000 Won"... Hit by Steep Fees After Pressing the Cancel Button

Consumer Alert Issued on Air Travel Services Ahead of Chuseok Holiday
7,438 Applications for Air Travel Dispute Resolution in Three Years, Annual Increase of 37%
Ticket Cancellations and Fee Disputes Account for Over Half of Cases

#Mr. A purchased seven round-trip tickets between Incheon and Da Nang through a travel agency in October last year for 2,918,000 won. Five days later, he canceled the reservation, but the travel agency deducted a fee of 770,000 won. In addition to the airline’s cancellation fee of 80,000 won per person, the agency charged a separate service fee of 30,000 won. As a result, he was unable to recover 26% of the total amount paid.

As demand for international travel recovers, consumer complaints related to flight cancellations and delays are increasing. There have been many cases where consumers, after purchasing airline tickets from overseas online travel agencies (OTAs), end up paying fees to both the airline and the travel agency, or face disputes because they are unable to correct a passenger’s English name.

On July 7, the duty-free zone at Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport was bustling with travelers as the airport reached a cumulative passenger count of 1 billion. 2026.7.7 Photo by Kang Jinhyung

The Korea Consumer Agency and the Fair Trade Commission announced on the 14th that they have issued a consumer damage alert regarding air travel services ahead of the Chuseok holiday. The number of requests for remedy of damages related to airline services filed with the Korea Consumer Agency rose from 1,705 in 2023 to 2,532 in 2024, and 3,201 last year. Over a three-year period, the total reached 7,438 cases, with an average annual growth rate of 37%. This was more than twice the average annual growth rate (14.1%) of international travelers during the same period. Disputes related to cancellations accounted for 4,341 cases, or 58.4% of all requests. Contract violations, such as flight cancellations and delays, accounted for 2,020 cases (27.2%), and unfair practices made up 394 cases (5.3%).

If you purchase airline tickets from a travel agency or overseas online travel agency (OTA), you may be charged double fees upon cancellation. This occurs because, in addition to the airline’s own cancellation fee, travel agencies may add their own refund or change processing fees. Even for the same flight ticket, the refund amount may vary depending on where it was purchased.

Some consumers also suffer damages due to incorrect reservation information. For example, Mr. B bought three round-trip tickets between Incheon and Istanbul from a global OTA for 2,185,400 won. He later discovered he had entered one passenger’s English name incorrectly. While the airline’s policy allowed for a name correction, the OTA refused to process the change. There were also issues related to baggage. Of the 131 checked baggage claims received last year, 98 were related to bags or suitcases. By type, there were 103 damage cases, 16 delays, and 12 cases of loss.

The Korea Consumer Agency emphasized that travelers should check both the airline’s and the travel agency/OTA’s cancellation and change fees before purchasing tickets. The agency also stated, “Immediately after purchase, you must verify passengers’ English names and passport information,” and added, “If your baggage is damaged or lost, you should report it to the airline desk at the airport and obtain written confirmation before leaving.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.