She had been wasting hours of each day worrying about, and trying to cancel, the unwanted flight modification. When Funk’s request landed on my desk, her frustration was evident. Thanks for subscribing! United Airlines canceled my flight. But with neither Expedia nor United Airlines providing the assistance she needed, she wondered who could help her.Īnd that’s when an online search for help with canceled flights led her to the Elliott Advocacy team. She didn’t want to end up being a no-show for the trip she had no intention of taking. With just days until her scheduled flight, Funk knew she needed to act fast. “I called United Airlines, and the representative referred me to Expedia since I purchased the ticket on that site,” Funk recalled.Īnd unfortunately, that’s when Funk became embroiled in an endless loop of computer chatbots and unhelpful “assistance.” She found it impossible to request a refund or even to ask for a future flight credit from United Airlines. United Airlines: “Contact Expedia about your ticket problem.” “The new itinerary has a long connection through Newark, and I don’t want to do that.”īut when Funk tried to request a refund for the canceled flight through the United Airlines website, she found no refund option. “Because of the coronavirus, United Airlines canceled my nonstop flight,” Funk reported. Now when Funk pulled up her springtime jaunt to Belgium, she had a new, much less convenient itinerary. We’re still waiting for clarification from the DOT. The Department of Transportation requires airlines to refund passengers if the airline cancels the flight. However, a modification of an itinerary is a bit murky.
That’s true even when the original flight was clearly canceled by the airline. And many airline passengers are finding it virtually impossible to connect with the airline to request a refund. The travel industry is continuing to be pounded by coronavirus cancellations - with no end in sight. That’s what Renata Funk thinks has happened to her. Sodexo is a leading provider of integrated food, facilities management and other services that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life for millions of customers in corporate, education, healthcare, senior living, sports and leisure, government and other environments daily.
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