Posted on 05/02/2012 2:57:09 PM PDT by dynachrome
Should Spirit Airlines refund Jerry Meekins' ticket in spite of its 'no refund' rule for passengers who don't pay extra for insurance?
Should Spirit Airlines refund Jerry Meekins' ticket?
No. I sympathize with Meekins, but rules are rules.
Not sure. The rules are clear, but aren't there exceptions?
Yes. It's a no-brainer: give Meekins his money.
Other (post a comment).
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If they don’t, the PR will be terrible.
Airlines have offered compassionate discouts for people going to funerals forever. They should return this Marine’s money. Otherwise, you can be sure that none of his relatives will be flying Spirit Air to his funeral.
I feel for him but no. All the Airlines cheap fares are nonrefundable. They have been like that for years. The only way they would refund would be a death unfortunately. If they make 1 exception then they would have to make a million more. Why doesn’t everyone spend their energy to get the Airlines to change their policy for future travelers in this situation. I deal with this every single day and I’ve heard every story there is.
It astounds me that there should even be a question. Of course it should be refunded. What has happened to common sense? We are transitioning into a parallel universe, I swear. sd
I agree. This is classic case of a company having a policy but then being berated for not doing whatever people want. Yes it’s a sad story but the world is full of sad stories. If you dont like their policy, don’t fly with them.
Unfortunately, that Marine won’t be able to make that choice.
Thank you for voting!
No. I sympathize with Meekins, but rules are rules. 11.99% (11,798 votes)
Not sure. The rules are clear, but aren’t there exceptions? 6.62% (6,519 votes)
Yes. It’s a no-brainer: give Meekins his money. 80.27% (78,995 votes)
Other (post a comment). 1.12% (1,099 votes)
Total Votes: 98,411
Yep. Although I am fairly conservative, some of the responses I have seen here (as the father of a Marine) make me want to forget FR (not to mention.... to puke).
Should they be forced to? No.
Should the do it to avoid the bad publicity? Definitely.
The PR nightmare is not worth $500 or whatever the price of the ticket is.
They certainly don’t have to refund it. But they should, for at least two reasons.
1. It’s the right thing to do in the circumstances.
2. The publicity would be TERRIBLE if they refuse. They’d lose far more money on people refusing to fly with them.
Yes!
Refund his money and give him two round trip tickets for fee.
The pr has already cost the airline far more.
I don’t get it.
When I got into a kidney stone pain attack and had to go to the emergency room, midflight; the airline allowed both my wife and I complete flexibility adjusting schedule on short notice. Normally a very expensive option. It was Delta Airlines in 2010.
I did have to present a hospital admittance record though.
Yes and no. If I were CEO, I’d write a personal check. But I’d realize that it would be dangerous to set a precedent by having the COMPANY reimburse.
Generally, you do get what you are willing to pay for.
Want the absolute cheapest airfare?
For that, you'll give up flexibility regarding potential cancellation or scheduling changes.
If you want to add that flexibility back in, the extra insurance costs will bump up the fare to levels approaching all the other Airlines, who would have been more flexable in their cancellation policy.
That little bit of flexability is built into their prices.
Frankly, I wouldn't book a flight or reserve a hotel room if they did not also offer a reasonable cancellation policy.
Usually it is a set fee, but sometimes it is a percentage rate.
BTW, I am an “almost elderly” USAF Veteran.
This entire media induced populist outrage is incredibly stupid, IMHO.
I think your solution is the best one. I usually buy trip insurance as my work schedule can be iffy.
Where’s the story behind this one??
OK,fair enough.But can we assume that you don't have any life threatening illnesses? It's not as if this guy missed the flight because he overslept.
Here is how it should have been handled:
“I am so sorry, sir, please hold for a supervisor.”
“Mr. Meekins, this is a supervisor, I see you are traveling on a military discount fare. Thank you for your service. I am so sorry you will not be able to visit your daughter because of serious health issues. Although it is our policy that all fares are nonrefundable, we will refund your money. Please call us if your circumstances change and you are able to fly on Spirit.”
No it wouldn't.They could place some kind of weaselly legal phrase into their refund disclaimer.You prove to us that you've just been diagnosed as having two weeks to live and you'll get your money back.
That isn’t the point though. I am truly sorry he can’t use the ticket, it raises the question can he sell it (are the tickets transferable since they don’t offer refunds). But when there are terms and conditions to a sale, you make yourself aware of the consequences, and you make the choice. My husband and I are faced with a situation where a friend bought my husband a plane ticket and he will not be able to make the trip, and the friend cannot get their money back. The whole point of them buying was he could not afford the trip otherwise, and now we feel, obviously, that we should try and pay them back - for a trip we couldn’t afford in the first place. So that kinda sucks, but it is what it is, and it isn’t the fault of the airline. This airline does not offer military discounts or refunds, period. It may be the main reason their fares are low (if they are) or because they are small and keep costs down. Who knows. But it seems contradictory to me to have a big hue and cry over how this company should succumb to pressure because we happen to like the cause. But what about all the times when companies make choices and are forced to change policy and we don’t like why? Like a business who doesn’t want to make gay wedding cakes, or a hotel that doesn’t want same sex couples taking honeymoons there? Or a business that doesn’t hire cross-dressers. Are we for businesses being able to make their choices and set their policies and let the market decide?
It’s a bit like the outrage at Target who had a policy of no soliciting in front of the store. Nobody, period. So everyone gets upset that they don’t allow the Salvation Army. Well, no soliciting means nobody. Wasn’t a critique or slam on the Salvation Army specifically.
Here it is. I should have posted the link along with the poll.
It took you a very long paragraph to say that?
You wrote “This airline does not offer military discounts or refunds, period.”
Maybe they should lose some customers.
We fly a lot on American Airlines (especially my wife, who flies so much around the world because of her job that she could probably buy one of their planes).
As a result, when we are traveling together we go to the Admiral’s Club. I have always been impressed that active-duty military (including my daughter) can show up and rest and eat there, no questions asked. American also gives preferential boarding to active-duty military.
Perhaps the other airline in question could change their policy, because they are most certainly off my travel list!
ps. Sorry your husband cannot “make the trip”. Apparently the US Marine also cannot.
As far as your “its not as if he missed the flight because he overslept” strawman argument, ROTFLMAO!
He made a bad decision.
It amounted to about $200.00.
OMG, let's all get in an uproar about it because he bought a cheap, nonrefundable ticket!
I am a Veteran, and none of my Lotto investments have paid off. I demand a refund!
Sounds to me as if you'd make a great IRS Agent.Feel free to see that as a compliment if you wish.
The airline should have offered him compensation and resold the ticket.
You may not remember that the airlines stiffed many of their passengers and yet we taxpayers were forced to bail them out post 9-11.
We bailed out Wall St, AIG, GM and Chrysler too in 2008. We taxpayers get paid back as though that is adequate compensation for our risk. Wrong! We should have been paid loan shark interest on the loans, just as the banks charge us on their credit cards.
But you would make a great anti-USA Socialist!
Feel free to take that as a compliment,which you will, if you really do enjoy a belief in random, illogical delusions of moral superiority, against all facts.
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