In article ,
NotABushSupporter wrote:
> I suspect they told her they couldn't get her out on a flight in the
> near future. They would have told her she could try standby or accept a
> refund and buy a ticket on another carrier.
> As you have stated, this is not the airline's fault.
The old CAB rules included one -- rule 280 D ? -- that required the carrier
unable to carry the passenger to pay for a seat on another carrier. When
discounted excursion fares became common, that was changed to a rule that
allowed the original carrier to pay only the discounted segment fee the
passenger had paid them, rather than a full walk-up one-way fare, to the
carrying airline.
In cases where the airport was closed, or nobody was flying for safety
reasons, that didn't make much difference. But when only one particular
carrier couldn't fly, the passengers were taken care of with relatively
little delay or additional expense to the passenger.
But the airlines preferred to keep that captive passenger, and the
associated captive revenue. So they started publishing "Valid on UA only"
(substitute your carrier of choice) fares, that were exempted from the
contract clause that mirrored the old CAB regulation.
And, they don't issue refunds for partially-used tickets, unless they are
"at fault." Since they tend to attribute nearly every case where they can't
fly on schedule to "weather," they get to keep that revenue whether you fly
on another carrier or not.
My guess is that the woman in the original story was flying on a "Valid on UA
Only" fare, so UA didn't offer her any help with alternative accomodations,
nor would they refund any part of the fare. And if she pursued them for the
taxes they collected (which she would have to pay again to another carrier
if she booked an alternative flight herself), they would respond as America
West once did to me in a similar situation: "Yes, sir, we can credit those
taxes against the additional amount you owe us because you did not fulfill
the conditions of the ticket you bought; you did not fly the round trip."
They were willing to overlook that only if I did not seek recovery of the
overpaid taxes.
--
Randy Hudson
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