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Spirit caves: Airline boss to refund dying veteran's fare
Dying Vietnam veteran Jerry Meekins is getting his money back from Spirit Airlines' tightfisted boss after all. (www.foxnews.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
I was never a fan of Spirit Airlines because they nickel and dime you for everything. But if their policy is no refunds, period, no matter what and no matter who you are; and customers have the option to buy insurance in case something comes up, then I'm not so much in favor in caving to the guy, veteran or not. Maybe we wouldn't be a nation of bankrupt airlines if more CEO's played hardass like this guy. Just an opinion.
A good executive could have kept this incident under wraps and not allowed it to command the news wires for days. Sure, rules are rules, but Spirit took a beating they will take a long time recovering from over $200.00. Like the old song says "you gotta know when to hold'em and know when to fold'em.
All you guys are right here. Policy is policy and should be followed. Nothing personal there. It is what it is. BUT, as Richard says, they have lost a lot more than $200 and will be a long time recovering. In this day and time of social media, bad news travels faster and reaches more people faster than ever before
Too late Spirit!
Well folks, being the President of a truck repair service, and also suffering from crohns disease, I gotta look at it from both sides here, yes I do fly frequently, so when I go to frontiers website to book my flight, I have the option to buy flight interruption insurance,... What 10 or 15 dollars?, if I get up the day of flight, and do not feel capable of making the flight, well a quick " courtesy call to the airline " sure goes a long way,(Frontier has been GREAT about rebooking a later flight, at pretty much the same rate,Thanks Frontier)...and my "flight insurance" kicks in,
But C'mon now, what Pres/CEO is going to expose his business to the kind of ridicule that this man has?
Jerry Meekins,..Thank you for your service to our country,..We all owe you a debt of gratitude for what you have done for our country,..That being said,as a person with a sometimes debilitating disease, I urge you to please have whoever makes your flight arrangements, to click the button for flight insurance,..it will make things much easier for you,..also, wishing you the best in your battle with the cancer.
Ben,Ben,Ben,...Mr.Baldanza,...your Board of Directors has not fired you yet?, WTF were you thinking man?,...your employees, suppliers,and everyone else that benefits from the success of Spirit Airlines, is counting on YOU,...
Dude, when this situation hit your desk,.. the first phone call from you, should have been to Air Methods/Air Life,..to make arrangements to have Mr.Meekins transported under medical supervision,.. (imagine the story that Fox news could have told about you and Spirit airlines),
Heavy, or Hero,..your choice man,...even if he couldn't fly on a medical bird,.. At least you offered to help,...Spirit looks good at the end of the story,... And isn't that what our responsibility as CEO's is all about,..keeping our companies "lookin good"?
Well, Mr.Baldanza, hope there was a lesson learned here,...too bad you and Spirit had to get drug through the ditch,..but all for $197.00 ?.....
But C'mon now, what Pres/CEO is going to expose his business to the kind of ridicule that this man has?
Jerry Meekins,..Thank you for your service to our country,..We all owe you a debt of gratitude for what you have done for our country,..That being said,as a person with a sometimes debilitating disease, I urge you to please have whoever makes your flight arrangements, to click the button for flight insurance,..it will make things much easier for you,..also, wishing you the best in your battle with the cancer.
Ben,Ben,Ben,...Mr.Baldanza,...your Board of Directors has not fired you yet?, WTF were you thinking man?,...your employees, suppliers,and everyone else that benefits from the success of Spirit Airlines, is counting on YOU,...
Dude, when this situation hit your desk,.. the first phone call from you, should have been to Air Methods/Air Life,..to make arrangements to have Mr.Meekins transported under medical supervision,.. (imagine the story that Fox news could have told about you and Spirit airlines),
Heavy, or Hero,..your choice man,...even if he couldn't fly on a medical bird,.. At least you offered to help,...Spirit looks good at the end of the story,... And isn't that what our responsibility as CEO's is all about,..keeping our companies "lookin good"?
Well, Mr.Baldanza, hope there was a lesson learned here,...too bad you and Spirit had to get drug through the ditch,..but all for $197.00 ?.....
It is common law that you cannot enjoy unjust enrichment in a transaction. Any seller of scheduled air transportation has a perishable product. If you purchase a ticket and fail to fly for any reason the airline might lose money on that seat. If you buy a non-refundable ticket and hold it to departure, I think the airline has the right to keep the money and the deminimus amounts for not serving you and carrying your weight. If you apply for a refund in advance of the scheduled flight I feel the airline has a duty to attempt to sell that seat. If sold, you should be entitled to a refund, if not sold you should not be refunded.
What Spirit is not telling us is that they often sell non-refundable seats to standby passengers.
There are circumstances beyond the control of the airline that might result in them being unable to operate the flight. Weather, maintenence issues, and crew scheduling could cause a delay, but no compensation is due the passengers. It should be the same for passengers who cannot fly through no fault of their own.
The no refund policy in a medical situation could push an ill passenger to take the flight anyway and possibly create a medical emergency in the air. My son was an unacompanied minor on a non-stop flight from IAD to LAX. I checked FlightAware to judge what time I should arrive to collect him. I saw the plane was landing at LAS. An ill passenger caused the diversion. Several hours later they arrived. The ill man had a non-refundable ticket and caused a plane load of people to be delayed, and the expense of a take off and landing. It was very expensive for United to enforce that policy.