14 hours ago
A Cape Cod couple got sick and had to cancel their flight. Call for Action helped them get a refund.
A Cape Cod couple was out nearly $10,000 for first class airline tickets after they ended up having to buy the same tickets twice. The seniors thought they would get a credit for the original tickets they bought since they had to cancel their trip.
But when they couldn't get their money back, they reached out to the I-Team's Call for Action.
Dan and Joanne Patrie planned to visit relatives in San Diego and used online booking to buy first class tickets on JetBlue. Dan says they normally don't travel first class, but the couple has some mobility issues and thought the upgraded seats would be closer to the restrooms and would require less walking. They paid slightly more than $4,000 for the round trip tickets.
But, in early February, just before they were ready to leave, the couple got sick. "We were concerned about who we were going to go visit," Dan said, "and the fact that one of those people were immunocompromised."
So, they decided two days before the flight that they should cancel until they were feeling better. Dan says he went back online to cancel the plans. "I found what I thought was the appropriate format to cancel the trip, but never got a response back from the airline," Dan said.
Couple tried to get refund for months
Dan and Joanne said they tried for months to get their money back or get a credit. "I couldn't get to a real person online," Dan said. "The best I could do was get what they call a live chat with someone I thought was real person."
Unable to get their money back the couple bought new tickets, this time spending closer to $5,000 for the round trip. "At this point I had both trips booked and paid for on the same credit card," Dan said. "So, it was close to $9,000. That's a lot of money to us, it really is."
Getting discouraged about getting the credit for the first trip, Joanne suggested calling the I-Team's Call for Action.
We contacted JetBlue, and in a statement the company said:
"After a review, it appears JetBlue did not receive or confirm the cancellation of these customers' travel plans in advance of their first flight. As a one-time courtesy, we have created a travel credit for the value of the itinerary, which is what would have been issued had the trip been canceled ahead of time. We look forward to welcoming these customers on a future JetBlue flight."
Dan says he got a call from a representative at JetBlue headquarters. "I think we really needed Cheryl. We thank you. Takes a big load off our mind and off our pocketbook," he said.
When booking airline tickets online be sure to read the cancellation and change policies. Some airlines only offer travel credits while others will provide a full or partial refund on certain types of tickets.
