Sweet. From Consumerist.
I had purchased a ticket on Spirit Airlines for a friend of mine in Brooklyn, New York to come and visit me in Orlando. I had purchased the ticket about three months prior to the departure date so I could get the lowest fare. To make a long story short, my friend had been diagnosed with colon cancer and had to start treatment immediately….
This meant that he would not be able to make the trip down to Orlando and when I explained this situation to Spirit Airlines they couldn’t care less. I even offered to give them medical documentation on my friends condition and they said, “sorry but Spirit policy is no refunds”.
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Tags: colon_cancer, spirit_airlines, consumerist
one word……”WOW”. That is horrible of them. We all know there are always exceptions.
I’m not sure about most airlines, but this is what travel cancellation insurance is supposed to be for. One of the ways discount airlines keep fares low like this is to offer crappier customer service, such as no refunds.
When I got diagnosed in January both my parents and my wife had to cancel big planned flights (to Peru and Australia) respectively, on major airlines, and it was their pre-purchased cancellation insurance that covered them, not any refund from the airline.
I’m sounding a bit like a heartless type here, which is unusual for me, but secondarily, anyone who has to cancel a flight usually has a pretty compelling story. Cancer is a big one, but what if you were hit by a drunk driver and hospitalized? Or your house burned down? Or you lost your job? Or you became suicidally depressed and needed intensive treatment?
Which of these should qualify for a refund on a no-refunds ticket? I don’t think my having chemo and radiation treatments is any better a reason to get money back than being in a body cast or having to withdraw from Atavan and find an effective antidepressant, for example.
Cancellation insurance is pretty cheap. Refundable, changeable tickets cost more. You do get what you pay for, even in airfares.
I had planned ahead for a trip to Tucson after surgery knowing in the back of my mind that chemo/radiation was eminent. Scott scoffed at me for buying the insurance (thru my expedia booking) but it came in handy. We are a household that does not buy extended warranties let alone travel insurance. I got lucky and was able to submit a letter from my doctor (so very elementary school) and change my flight to later in the summer. I knew my situation. Most people do not plan for a cancer diagnosis. I cannot believe that Spirit Air will not reconsider. AH…yes. Most airlines hate their customers anyway. We are living our own British Airways nightmare.