Getting an Air Fare Refund for Family Emergency

ABC News Fixer helps reader recoup more than $2,000 after devastating news.

ByABC News
October 2, 2014, 12:23 PM
The declining health of Deidra Dobbs, pictured, led family members to cancel travel plans, resulting in a struggle for a refund.
The declining health of Deidra Dobbs, pictured, led family members to cancel travel plans, resulting in a struggle for a refund.
Cassandra Kreps

— -- Dear ABC News Fixer: We had booked a $2,600 trip to Scotland last March using Airfare.com. We were planning to leave May 1 to see our family overseas.

In mid-April, we received devastating news that our sister/sister-in-law, Deidra Dobbs, who had been battling cancer for seven years, was to be put on hospice as she only had weeks or maybe a month to live.

We contacted Airfare.com to let them know we were not going to be able to make the trip. We were hoping for a refund or to be able to change the travel dates. We explained that she was in a dying state and we needed to be with her and especially her four kids that she would be leaving behind. We understand that we bought non-refundable tickets, but their rules also state that in such a circumstance we could move the date by paying a fee, which was fine.

We contacted them every day for three weeks, and got nothing but more and more stress with no definite answer.

We have submitted everything they have asked for and the hospice has even tried to contact them. They told us they were waiting for the airline to confirm a refund. So we decided to call the airline, and they said Airfare.com had not contacted them yet. The airline said they would put a note in our booking for a refund confirmation, but they would need Airfare.com to confirm it because the money would be refunded first to Airfare.com and then to us. On a later call, the airline told us they would not refund our money, but they could put a 12-month hold on the tickets so they could be used later – but again, only if Airfare.com confirms it.

So again we are getting nowhere. Please help.

- Cassandra Kreps, Camp Verde, Ariz.

Got a consumer problem? The ABC News Fixer may be able to help. Click here to submit your problem online. Letters are edited for length and clarity.

Dear Cassandra: By the time you wrote this letter to us, it was a day after your scheduled departure, and you were frantic about whether you’d just lost $2,600. Once a plane has already taken off, it’s next to impossible to get anything for this type of highly restricted ticket. On top of that, you were trying to cope with the impending death of your sister-in-law, who sadly, did pass away about two weeks later.

Our sympathies to you and your family.

You were understandably frustrated at the breakdown in communication during this stressful time. Refund or not, you wanted to find someone who would respond to your problem.

We had a little better luck. We contacted Airfare.com and soon heard from A.J. Knight, customer care supervisor. He promised to get on the case. Airfare.com requested some additional documentation from you, and in the end they decided that given the nature of the terminal illness, they would seek a refund from the airline. It took awhile, but they did obtain that refund for you, minus a $300 processing fee.

Here’s hoping you’ll be able to one day take that trip. Meanwhile, for other readers who might be considering a vacation abroad:

  • Airlines have different ways of dealing with these types of situations. Some are willing to give refunds to customers with such an emergency, but our advice is to not count on getting any flexibility.
  • The airlines are more likely to extend the ticket than give a refund. Expect to pay a fee for this.
  • Contact the airline or your travel agent immediately if you’re dealing with a medical emergency or death in the family that interferes with your travel.
  • Considering buying travel insurance with your ticket, especially if the trip represents a substantial financial investment. However, be sure you understand the policy’s fine print, such as whether pre-existing conditions won’t be covered or whether reimbursement is capped at a low amount.

- The ABC News Fixer