PG: Let’s flip the tables here and talk about what it means for something to be “nonrefundable.” I think it’s within every airline’s right to set the terms at the purchase of your ticket. If you go to Southwest Airlines they have a different interpretation of what they don’t refund. And you won’t get charged with a $150 fine to change your flight date either.
GH: If you buy a Broadway ticket it’s also nonrefundable, the most you can do is give it to someone else. I feel like we need an option where we can transfer a nonrefundable ticket to someone else and I believe Ryanair does have an option like that with a $50 charge.
PG: Airlines don’t do that because they want to hose business travelers. They want to make sure no business traveller can fly at the last minute for $18. If you would allow the transfer of tickets, you’d start a secondary market where everyone would be buying tickets in advance and brokering them on the side. I get that, so I think, within two weeks of your flight, if you want to change the name on your ticket you could do it with no penalty. That’s fair and reasonable. And it would increase their market share because people would understand that it is fair and reasonable!
GH: Let’s face it, there is some fraud out there and people do lie about things, but you can’t lie about dying and I feel like there should be some regulation that if you die, your estate gets the money back. Or, as you know, travel insurance is not very expensive. At $9 or $12 a ticket, it will cover you enough, but some pre-existing conditions may not be covered. In this veteran’s case he didn’t know he had this condition at the time of his purchase.
PG: With travel insurance, you have to look at everything on a case-by-case basis. In a situation like this, the policy was clearly defined. In Spirit’s defense, it was a nonrefundable ticket.
GH: In addition, I think Spirit is the only airline that doesn’t give service members traveling on order a discount, but their tickets are so cheap it’s probably lower than Southwest or American.
Everyone hates Spirit unless it’s the only flight they can afford…Spirit’s airfares are much lower than anyone else.
PG: Bottom line: we fly to get from point A to point B, not because of the wine list or movies provided in flight. As long as we land safely, that’s all that matters.
What lessons are you taking away for last week’s Spirit Airlines PR nightmare?
For more information on past Spirit Airlines scandals, check out:
- The Travel Detective on Spirit Airlines’ Ancillary Fee Madness
- Airlines Fee Transparency Debate: Spirit CEO Ben Badanza Responds
- Icarus Award: In the Spirit of Failing
- Travel Detective Blog archives
By Peter Greenberg for Peter Greenberg Worldwide Radio
