Reselling airline tickets between private individuals: what you need to know

Other events, setbacks or scheduling problems - there are many reasons why you might not be able to catch your flight. Instead of paying for your ticket for nothing, it is possible to sell it on platforms between private individuals. This practice is totally legal, so you just need to make sure of one thing: that the airline allows you to change the names of the passengers. This is essential if you want to be able to sell your ticket to someone else, as it is personal. Most airlines offer this service, but you still need to check. Air France, for example, does not offer this service.

Generally speaking, low-cost airlines such as Ryanair, Transavia, Volotea and EasyJet almost always allow you to change the passenger's name on the ticket. For these airlines, the cost of the change varies between 30 and several hundred euros. In most cases, the maximum delay is two hours before departure time. Note that even if you have bought a return ticket and have already made the outward journey, it is possible to resell the return ticket.

The cost of a name change :

You should also take into account the cost of changing your name, which varies from airline to airline, so it's a good idea to know this amount so that you can take it into account when you resell your ticket. Sometimes the cost of a name change exceeds that of the ticket itself. Some airlines can charge up to €300 to change a passenger's name if it's at the last minute. Don't be fooled, and find out beforehand so that you can warn your buyer of the extra cost he or she will have to pay.

How do you resell your ticket?

There are two platforms for reselling your ticket: kelbillet.com and Aller-retour.net. These two very intuitive platforms will allow you to sell your ticket at the price you want by providing all the necessary information.

Your ad will be checked to see if your ticket is exchangeable and if the fare you submit is below the actual value of the ticket. The resale of airline tickets at a higher price than when purchased is prohibited. Once your ad has been validated, your flight ticket will be visible and can be purchased.

You can also create an alert on these sites to be kept informed in real time of new ads that match your criteria and are therefore of interest to you.

Use Obvy to secure your transaction:

Once you've found your buyer, use Obvy to secure your transaction. Obvy is 100% made in France and was initially designed to eradicate online scams between private individuals.

Obvy guarantees payment protection for transactions from 1 euro up to 200,000 euros, in person and on delivery. Obvy keeps the money safe for the duration of the transaction for optimum security.

If you can't find a buyer :

If, despite your attempts to resell your ticket, you do not find a buyer, you can always get a refund of your airport taxes, which amount to a few dozen euros. This facility is available on any ticket, even if it is neither exchangeable nor refundable. To do this, contact the airline on which you bought your ticket.