Ann and Francis Mason’s bucket-list trip to Hawaii is cut short when Francis’ father unexpectedly passes away. Can they get a refund for their unused airline tickets?
Question
I’ve dreamed of visiting Hawaii since age 4, so when my husband and I retired, that’s where we wanted to go for our first major trip. We booked our vacation through our travel agent and also bought insurance, since my husband’s mother recently had been put into hospice.
On our way to Hawaii, we found out that his healthy 94-year-old father had gotten shingles and died suddenly. We were shocked, but felt relieved that we had bought travel insurance.
Our travel agent was able to book us flights back, leaving at almost midnight and returning to Philadelphia at 7 p.m. the next day. After the funeral, our agent contacted us to start the ordeal of getting us back the money from the trip that didn’t happen.
The travel insurance company made it sound like we would get back all our money, minus what we used and the premium. What it doesn’t tell you is that you have to contact all the airlines yourself. We had several airlines to deal with!
Island Air in Hawaii has our highest regards. Its agents acted professionally, and they got us our money back — minus those fees — quickly. Hawaiian Air said to contact US Airways. We called US Airways twice and emailed. We have received no response.
This has been a trying situation, adding insult to injury. Can you please help us to get our airfare back from US Airways? — Ann Mason, Pennsauken, N.J.
Answer
My condolences to both you and your husband on the loss of your father-in-law. You tried to protect your vacation investment by using a qualified travel agent and buying trip insurance. And when tragedy struck, you did your best to go through all the right steps to receive a refund or credit for your unused airfare.
I should fill in a few details: This was a package tour, so you don’t know how much each component actually costs. You cut your visit to Hawaii short to return to the mainland, buying new airline tickets. Your travel insurance reimbursed those, but left you with return tickets that would go unused.
Under your fare rules, you could receive a credit for those tickets, minus a $200 change fee and fare differential. Most airlines waive the change fees if you can show them a death certificate. (Related: Left at the wrong airport by airline after a cancellation.)
But a full refund is not the norm. I would not feel comfortable lobbying US Airways into refunding those tickets.
But I do feel comfortable encouraging the airline to respond to you. When you called the airline, it placed you on hold for an hour before you gave up. And you tried calling again, with the same result. Then you wrote the airline, but it never responded.
When that happens, you can escalate your complaint to someone higher up the food chain. I publish the names and addresses of the managers on my site.
Is the airline required to do anything?
US Airways isn’t required to do anything more than answer your email and offer the ticket credit as per your fare rules. You then take that information to your travel insurance company, which may or may not cut you a check, depending on your coverage. Or you can ask me to get involved.
I will add my disappointment that your travel agent and insurance company were not more helpful with your claim. (Here is our guide on how to find the best travel insurance.) Your agent could have assisted you in requesting a refund — after all, you paid a commission and a booking fee for that travel professional’s services. (You know that saying, “Without a travel agency, you’re on your own”? You shouldn’t ever have felt alone.)
My advocacy team and I contacted US Airways on your behalf to see if it could answer your request for a ticket credit or a refund. In response, the airline credited you $3,200, which appears to be the full value of your flights booked with them. That’s an unexpectedly generous resolution.
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