Most organizations favor nonrefundable airline tickets because they're almost always cheaper than unrestricted options. Industry data suggest corporate travelers use the lower fare classes for around 85 percent of trips.

Although corporate managers encourage that booking behavior, airlines charge fees and impose rules for applying the resulting unused credit. Optimal use of nonrefundable airfares requires some diligence. Still, the more expensive refundable fares are almost never acceptable by policy. Here are some exceptions.

When the fully refundable fare isn't too much more than a nonrefundable. Fees for . . .

The full content is available to subscribers

Reminder: As per our Subscriber Agreement, reproduction or distribution of content and sharing user names and passwords are strictly prohibited.