Ask a QuestionTicket Refunds
Frequently Asked Questions
The following questions and answers are for informational purposes. All refunds are subject to final audit by Northwest Airlines Passenger Refunds Department.
Our Customers First policy allows for a full refund of tickets when request is made by the end of the next day from the date of purchase.
Domestic Ticket Expiration
Domestic defined as all tickets issued for travel wholly within or between 50 US / Canada / Mexico / Puerto Rico / Caribbean.
Wholly unused refundable and non-refundable domestic tickets are valid for one year from date of travel origination. The ticket must be exchanged and the new origination date must begin within one year of the original outbound date designated on the original ticket.
Once any ticket expires, Northwest will retain all amounts collected from the passenger as an administrative service charge/cancellation fee. All partially used tickets, without exception, are valid for one year from the date travel originated.
International Ticket Expiration
Wholly unused refundable and non-refundable tickets expire one year after the date of issue. If exchanged, the new ticket will then be valid for travel originating within one year from the date of the exchange.
Once any ticket expires, Northwest will retain all amounts collected from the passenger as an administrative service charge/cancellation fee. All partially used tickets, without exception, are valid for one year from the date travel originated.
2. What is your Customer First policy on canceling reservations?
Under our Customer First Guidelines, you may cancel your reservation by the end of the next day (Midnight Central Time) after your purchase was made. To cancel, please contact Northwest Reservations at 1-800-225-2525. If you don't cancel, however, you will not receive a refund unless you have purchased a fully refundable fare. Please also note that we do not accept cancelation notices via the web.
3. Can I transfer my unused ticket to my family or a friend?
Tickets are non-transferable.
4. I exchanged my SkyMiles miles for a ticket and I will not be able to use it. What should I do?
You may cancel your reservation and redeposit the miles on nwa.com. Visit View/Change Reservations or click here to access your reservation. An administrative fee of 50 USD applies to redeposit miles to your SkyMiles account.
5. How do I obtain an adjustment related to a trip where I had tickets in First Class or BusinessElite but flew in Coach class?
Please send us the passenger receipt coupon related to your trip, as well as your boarding passes along with a brief summary of facts. Our address is:
Northwest Airlines, Inc.
C6591 - Passenger Refunds Dept.
7500 Airline Drive
Minneapolis, MN 55450-1101
6. I had a non-refundable round-trip ticket and only used half of the ticket. Can I get a refund for the unused segments?
Most fares are discounted when purchased as round-trip travel. To determine if your partially used ticket has any remaining value, Northwest would calculate what the cost of a one-way trip would have been for the date the ticket was purchased and for when travel occurred. If there is value remaining based on that calculation then yes you would be eligible for a refund.
7. I had a voucher (TCV-Transportation Credit Voucher) that I received from Northwest Airlines, and now I cannot find it. Can you replace it?
TCVs are documents that cannot be replaced, as stated in the Terms and Conditions printed on the back of all TCVs.
8. I purchased my ticket from a travel agent. Can I refund it on nwa.com?
If your ticket was purchased for a published unrestricted fare, you may refund it on nwa.com. Otherwise, please check with your travel agent as restrictions may apply.
