Super-Secret Blackout Refunds
Scott McCartney, who writes "The Middle Seat" airline column for the Wall Street Journal, reports that almost every major airline is offering refunds to any passenger left holding a ticket after the blackout.

What no major carrier said in its press releases and public statements was that customers could get refunds if their flights were canceled. Yet that is the case: You are entitled to a refund, even on a nonrefundable ticket, in the event of a weather disruption, labor action or some event out of the airline's control. It's in the fine print. Look under "force majeure."

He catches some airline reps in doublespeak and also gives a nod to Cheapseats.com which "alerted people about the refunds over the weekend." He ends the column this way:

You can't blame airlines for wanting to hang on to revenue, especially when their finances are already so bad. Announcing to customers that refunds were available probably would be a costly action.

Then again, lousy customer service -- and outright deception -- have a heavy cost, too.

- posted by Amy @ 8/22/2003 09:46:00 AM