Airline passenger faked coronavirus to avoid change fee
Canadian budget carrier Swoop says a passenger faked a coronavirus infection to try and avoid fees for changing a flight.
The passenger made the claim at Abbotsford International Airport but later admitted it was all a lie.
The customer was unable to provide the required medical note to change the ticket under Swoop’s conditions of carriage.
The airline said it initially took the claim ‘very seriously and sanitized all appropriate surfaces’.
"Due to the sensitive nature of this claim, we followed up with this passenger, who said they were only making this claim to try and change their flight."
The airline urged all fliers who genuinely feel ill not to come to the airport
"We do not suggest anyone who is feeling unwell to show up at the airport and to utilize our call center," airline spokesperson Larissa Mark said.
"Should a guest present ill or fall ill during travel, our frontline teams and crews are trained to handle multiple scenarios and situations that can arise on the ground or onboard our aircraft."
Swoop declined to identify the passenger by name and it is not known whether any further action will be taken.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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