MENOMONEE FALLS — Charlie Wise, of Menomonee Falls, booked a Frontier flight in February to see his family in Denver. Then the world witnessed the COVID-19 health crisis. He canceled his flight for March 20.
"I said, how do I get a refund?" Wise said he asked the airline. Their response?
"'We're not giving you a refund, we'll give you a credit,'" Wise recalled.
Wise went back and forth with a Frontier representative, saying he didn't want credit for a future flight. He wanted his $200 back.
"I'm an older guy, I actually have Type 2 Diabetes, so I have an underlying medical condition. I'm not planning on flying until this whole thing is taken care of and there's a vaccine and I know that it's absolutely safe," Wise continued.
Frontier wouldn't budge and when TMJ4 News contacted the airline, a spokesperson provided the following statement:
"Government regulations related to providing refunds for non-refundable fares have not changed and Frontier continues to comply with the DOT's rules regarding refunds. If an airline cancels a scheduled passenger's flight, the airline is responsible for providing a timely refund at the customer's request. In this case, the customer voluntarily canceled their reservation and as a courtesy, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we waived cancellation fees and provided a full travel credit for their non-refundable tickets. The credit is valid for 90 days from issuance, however, the customer does not have to travel within that time frame, only book their trip. We've extended our schedule to offer flights through Sept. 2021 and Frontier allows for no-fee flight changes up to 60 days prior to scheduled departure for added flexibility. Lastly, I'll note that the two flights the customer had originally booked did depart as scheduled and were not canceled."
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During his dispute with the airline, Wise reached out to the Better Business Bureau.
"Call the airline. It may take numerous times. You have to be persistent," said Jim Temmer, President and CEO of the Wisconsin BBB.
Temmer said you can also try your credit card company and dispute the charge because you never received what you purchased.
And even though this wasn't the case with Charlie Wise, Temmer said if the airline canceled your flight, you need to know your rights.
"According to the Department of Transportation, if an airline cancels or significantly changes a flight, people should be able to get refunds for that," Temmer explained.
If this has happened to you, you can file a complaint with the USDOT.
Several lawmakers have introduced a bill calling for airlines giving cash refunds to consumers if they cancel their flight during COVID-19.
Click hereto read the bill.