19 August 2009

ââ¬ÅâœHeartlessââ¬~ characterization of airlines

Just two weeks before his wedding day, Danny Chou’s father died unexpectedly. He had to postpone his wedding and honeymoon to handle the funeral arrangements.
 

"At a time like that, you would expect an airline to show some compassion -- particularly if you can show them a death certificate, "writes travel consumer advocate Christopher Elliott.
 

Wrong, The airline’s response was characterized as "heartless."
 

United Airlines refused to offer a refund for nonrefundable $436 tickets to Japan, even though a death certificate was provided.
 

Did United break any rules? Elliott says no.
 

"But airlines typically waive their rules when you show a death certificate. That’s an unwritten policy but it’s common to the domestic airline industry," he says.
 

After he called the airline, they refunded the full ticket. He concluded:
 

"I think it’s possible that the United representative to whom Chou spoke didn’t fully understand the circumstances of his cancellation."
 

by David Wilkening
 

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• Wonder if he had a travel agent?
  
  

  This is another example of where a travel agent would have assisted a client, freeing him up to attend to his loss.

  By J Hewson, Monday, August 24, 2009