No one plans to miss a flight, but sometimes it’s just out of your control. Phoenix school teacher Ben Fisher found that out the hard way.
He was flying to Michigan for his grandma’s birthday, only to find that the other had suddenly passed away. He decided to extend his stay to attend the funeral, but needed to leave immediately after to make it back to work.
“I didn't have that many (vacation) days left for my job,” he says.
But the airline that he was booked with did not have any flights leaving the day of the funeral.
He says he booked through a different carrier and asked for a refund for the ticket he had already purchased.
“The lady was like that's a special division but most likely we'd do that,” he says.
Ben says he provided proof of his grandmother’s passing but in the end was denied his money back.
“They said, 'We're sorry for the loss of your grandma but our policy is not to refund tickets for that,'” he says.
So he let me know, and the Better Business Bureau volunteer team took it from there getting in touch with the right people and finding a sympathetic ear.
“It actually went very quickly,” he says. “Within about a month, she had contacted Allegiant and they refunded my money.”
Thanks to Allegiant Airlines for stepping up and helping a teacher during a tough time.
Some airlines will allow you to use that money towards future flights, if you cancel in advance. But it’s important to know the policy before you buy, so you can decide whether or not trip insurance is worth it.
