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U.S. fines airlines more than $7M for not providing refunds

nytimes.com

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Re: U.S. fines airlines more than $7M for not providing refunds

#71

Post by infotogivenm »

kaycebasques wrote: post #15

I am relieved to see that regulators appear aware of the game that Frontier seems to be playing. I flew to Denver recently and didn't need to travel heavy so I went with their cheap fare. The flight from SFO was fine. The flight from DEN to SFO was extremely frustrating. We arrived at DEN early because we got a text message warning us about major TSA delays. Literally the moment we were about to board Frontier change…

Probably flight crew resourcing issues. Incredibly common on all airlines lately unfortunately, this year I’ve had it happen on American (twice!) and United, but surprisingly not Frontier yet. United at least let me know before I went to the airport.

Re: U.S. fines airlines more than $7M for not providing refunds

#72

Post by wheels »

vinay427 wrote: post #60
JusticeJuice wrote: post #32

I spent $600 on a flight from London, to San Diego. There's a stopover in New York - but the connecting flight is delayed for six hours. At this point it's 10pm, but they get a plane, we board, we're actually taxing to the runway... and then the flight is canceled. Turns out it would arrive too late in San Diego for noise regulation. We all get off, I get another flight with a different company next thing in the morn…

Did they not offer to rebook you? I've never had an airline not offer to rebook someone at the airline's expense for an airline-canceled flight, whether in the US or Europe. As an aside, originally written as a response to a now-deleted comment about noise regulations that shouldn't excuse your compensation situation at all: > The airport in San Diego is abnormally close to the downtown area more than virtually any o…

> I've never had an airline not offer to rebook someone at the airline's expense for an airline-canceled flight

I have. Even after 3 hours on the phone. For a flight booked months in advance, and canceled 20 hours before departing. They kept finding flights, and then saying they needed to get them approved by their supervisor, which was rejected 3 times. I assume they decided that the lost tickets would be too expensive and would rather just screw me.

I had to file a chargeback with my credit card to even get a refund (after 2 months), and I'm currently using a legal service which is in the process of suing American Airlines to get the statutory standard compensation for canceled flights in the EU. They simply ignored my (and the legal service's) requests for such.

Re: U.S. fines airlines more than $7M for not providing refunds

#73

Post by ISL »

1024core wrote: post #49
MichaelCollins wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> major TSA delays. This infuriates me. Last week I was stuck in line for TSA for an hour and a half at Sea-Tac. The TSA clowns had one guy looking at the X-rays of luggage at the speed of molasses. Am I to believe that the TSA, FAA and airlines can't coordinate to determine when gluts of incoming passengers are expected? Bullshit. Why didn't they have more TSA workers on shift? Because they don't give a shit, nothin…

> Am I to believe that the TSA, FAA and airlines can't coordinate to determine when gluts of incoming passengers are expected? Same with the Customs and Immigration Services (the passport checkers) at SFO. I have seen lines going out to the walkway (leading into the big room). I can't even imagine traveling with a couple of little children; there's no restroom in that big hall. By law, these people get full passenger…

Perhaps they're trying to hire, but either the labor market is tight or they're not able to offer enough to get people to take the job.

GP's desire to berate TSA agents, for example, suggests that job-satisfaction might not be real high.

Re: U.S. fines airlines more than $7M for not providing refunds

#76

Post by jghn »

infotogivenm wrote: post #62
mattwad wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are the scum of the universe. If you don't pay for your seats, they will separate you and your party even if there are available seats together, because they know you'll shell out cash to fix it. (I think American does this now too, and possibly others but I haven't confirmed they also do it when there's available seats).

Personally I’ve always seen them allow you to get up and relocate as soon as cabin doors closes. But yea, you didn’t pay for a seat assignment so you might get stuck where-ever. They’re pretty clear about this… Flown Frontier many dozens of times, since I usually travel alone with just a backpack. It’s probably saved me $5-10k in my adult life. Very often it will be $150+ less than the next cheapest option.

Speaking of relocating, I don't love having to pay to pick one's seat, but IMO the larger problem are the customers who choose to don't pay and assume they can bully other passengers into moving. Yeah it sucks you have to pay for the privilege, but it's not the other passenger's responsibility to handle it for you.

Re: U.S. fines airlines more than $7M for not providing refunds

#77

Post by mcculley »

FigurativeVoid wrote: post #24
MichaelCollins wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> major TSA delays. This infuriates me. Last week I was stuck in line for TSA for an hour and a half at Sea-Tac. The TSA clowns had one guy looking at the X-rays of luggage at the speed of molasses. Am I to believe that the TSA, FAA and airlines can't coordinate to determine when gluts of incoming passengers are expected? Bullshit. Why didn't they have more TSA workers on shift? Because they don't give a shit, nothin…

I used to work in the same building as the TSA. They were some of the rudest people I have ever been around. They would smoke in the stairwells and literally anywhere other than the smoking areas. They have the same problem as BMVs, they have literally no incentive to improve. There is no competition.

And now they are like other bad organizations (e.g., police departments that have a history of shooting unarmed people) in the respect that nobody wants to be associated with them, so they can only recruit from the bottom.

Re: U.S. fines airlines more than $7M for not providing refunds

#78

Post by JusticeJuice »

wnolens wrote: post #66

I've abandoned probably a thousand dollars in airfare in my life. Just don't have the energy nor do I think it's possible to get it back. I once cancelled a flight on United, but the $400 "credit" I had (1y expiry) with them had some special "booking code" attached to it (not informed of this on purchase, bought regularly through their website) so the only tickets I was allowed to use the credit on cost > $1000 (regu…

So I've been working remote and traveling for the last year, visited 28 countries so far so taken a lot of flights - and in my personal, anecdotal, probably biased experience - North American airlines and airports are particularly bad. Many positive experiences everywhere else.

Re: U.S. fines airlines more than $7M for not providing refunds

#79

Post by kaycebasques »

ceejayoz wrote: post #18
kaycebasques wrote: post #15

I am relieved to see that regulators appear aware of the game that Frontier seems to be playing. I flew to Denver recently and didn't need to travel heavy so I went with their cheap fare. The flight from SFO was fine. The flight from DEN to SFO was extremely frustrating. We arrived at DEN early because we got a text message warning us about major TSA delays. Literally the moment we were about to board Frontier change…

Why would you not get your money back from an airline-initiated cancellation? I get giving up on delay compensation - I'm currently fighting travel insurance on an 18 hour delay that incured a hotel stay - but "we canceled your flight, but we're keeping your money" seems like a scenario where the airline clearly has no leg to stand on. Hell, do a credit card chargeback.

My time, energy, and inner peace is more valuable than the loss I've incurred ($300) and the mental anguish of waiting for hours to get a customer support person to issue me a refund (someone who has probably been instructed to resist giving me back my money)

Vowing to never use their business again (so my loss is limited to a one-time event) and recommending everyone to do the same has worked out pretty well for me --- I can make peace with the experience and we slowly weed out these bad apples from the world

Re: U.S. fines airlines more than $7M for not providing refunds

#80

Post by JumpCrisscross »

JusticeJuice wrote: post #68
pricechild wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're "departing from an airport in the UK on any airline" then I'm pretty sure the legal minimum compensation is more than that: * https://www.caa.co.uk/passengers/resolving-travel-problems/d... * https://www.caa.co.uk/passengers/resolving-travel-problems/d... It sounds a bit confusing as to whether you were cancelled or delayed, or accepted an offer etc. but I wouldn't accept $24...

I was just so over it, I took the $24 and treated it as a lesson. I talked to a manager, but I couldn't be fucked doing more than that - I wasn't strapped for cash. If I was in my home turf, with a legal system I knew maybe I'd fight it more, but I was a tourist.

> with a legal system I knew maybe I'd fight it more

For future reference, Airhelp will fight it for you [1].

[1] https://www.airhelp.com/en/

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