Did United cancel flight and then short refund?

A: The cancellation two days before your return to Cleveland looked a little questionable. And given that United still operated your original flight as scheduled, I think your confusion was justified.

Let’s go straight to the rules, which state that United can do whatever it wants and you have virtually no recourse. Check out Rule 24 of its contract of carriage — the legal agreement between you and the airline: www.united.com /web/en-US/content /contract-of-carriage .aspx. It states that schedules “are not guaranteed

While I was visiting Los Angeles recently with my husband, I received an email from United Airlines saying that our flight back to Cleveland in two days was canceled because of “severe weather conditions in its route network.” We were scheduled to fly to Chicago and then Cleveland, but we were rebooked home through Newark, N.J., with 36 minutes between connecting flights.

We later discovered that others on the flight got their original schedules back, thanks to their travel agents. Because I had booked online at United.com and had no travel agent, I spent nearly four hours on the phone, much of it on hold, trying to get our original flight.

I was told at various times that a) the flight was full; b) the flight was canceled; and c) we could take a red-eye.

At that point, out of curiosity, I checked United .com to find that not only was the original flight still scheduled, but our very seats were available. So we paid $1,273 to book it and get back what United had canceled and to get home as we had planned, thinking it couldn’t be that hard to get a refund.

After dutifully filling out the forms for a refund, I received two payments of $369. That’s less than half of the price I paid for the original tickets. United offered no explanation. By my calculations, United owes us $535 more. Can you help me get a refund? and form no part of this contract.” Further, the airline may “substitute alternate carriers or aircraft, delay or cancel flights, and alter or omit stopping places or connections shown on the ticket at any time.”

Now, just because United can do this doesn’t also mean it should. If the “severe weather” cleared up and it could operate your original flight, it should have accommodated you on that original flight. I think buying a new ticket was the right move. A little risky but right.

When you book a round-trip ticket, not all of the segments are valued the same. It turns out that the first refund covered only one of the tickets. Another refund, which will cover the full amount of the second ticket, is in process. United also sent you two $200 vouchers as a “goodwill gesture.” Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine and the author of “How to Be the World’s Smartest Traveler.” You can read more travel tips on his blog, or email him at