DonnaH

My parents are in their 80s and trying to fly from Phoenix to Charlotte with US Airways.

My father has ended up in the hospital and we will know tomorrow whether he needs surgery or not.

They hold a ticket for this Tuesday, Sept. 23rd. Even if he doesn't need surgery and is discharged tomorrow, he is too ill to travel Tuesday.

I called the airline and they told me they can get credit for the flight and then email to request a waiver for the cancellation fees of $200 per ticket for a future flight.

All of this is well and good in and of itself but I have a few questions:

1. Instead of just emailing to request a waiver, if there another method that would be more effective? Or should he attach a copy of a letter from the doctor or the hospital proving he is ill?

2. Is there a way to use this ticket for me to go out there instead of them coming here? Or do they have to be the ones to use it? Is there a trick to maybe doing this? (We discussed it today as I am in far better health to go there at a future date.)

3. Is there any way to get a full refund, or is that completely out of the question?

4. If they had had insurance, would this have been covered? I keep saying they should get it but they never think about it.

Sorry for the barrage of questions, this has thrown us for a bit of a loop.

Thank you so much,

Donna

BearX220

Without travel insurance, providing evidence of illness is not likely to melt the airline's heart or create further bending of the rules, but you can always ring in, talk to a supervisor, and hope. Strictly speaking, however, the airline does not have to accommodate. What they have already offered you is what they would offer anyone who had to cancel a non-refundable booking for personal reasons, and the waiver of the $200 cancellation fee is above and beyond that. SO you're ahead of the game as it is.

No, I'm afraid not. Even if you cancel and bank the value of the ticket(s), less change fees, the banked value has to be used down the line by the original traveler. It's not transferable.

Unless they had travel insurance (see below), you and they are unfortunately now discovering that non-refundable means just that.

It's highly likely. Depends on the policy, and policies can be stacked against the traveler (especially those sold by the airlines as add-ons), but likely yes. Your parents are at an age now where travel insurance begins to make sense because of stuff like this. They might look into stand-alone insurance offerings like Travel Guard in future.

DonnaH

Thanks.

That is pretty much what I thought, but I thought maybe someone had some tricks or tips to getting something a bit more for them.

I suppose there is no way to add insurance now, considering the trip hasn't taken place yet?

I have gone to the website and it says coverage for the 2 flights is $363. Is it still possible to get it?

Often1

1. This is fairly generous of US. They are waiving a $200 fee per passenger, a total of $400.

2. There is one more alternative, but that is dependent on waiting for tomorrow to determine when your father might be medically cleared to fly. US may well be willing to simply change the dates with no fee. That can be better than issuing a credit because there is no guarantee that the tickets will cost the same down the road.

3. Insurance becomes more important over time.It typically covers exactly this sort of situation. And, even though it can get a bit pricey, it is still a much better deal than buying fully flexible tickets. If your parents travel any significant around, do some looking as there are other things which are often covered, e.g., passenger falls ill while traveling and the spouse is stuck in a hotel for 10 days.

BearX220

A little like driving uninsured, wrecking the car, THEN calling State Farm, no?

At any rate if US is willing to waive the change fees given your circumstances it would be most cost effective to just take that deal and hope your parents are well enough to use the banked value of the tickets down the road.

DonnaH

True, but their website does say you can buy it up to 24 hours ahead of the scheduled flight. However, it is $360, almost the cost of one of the tickets.

They didn't say they definitely would, she just said that they could email and "probably" get it waived given the circumstances.

US Air used to have special flights for seniors so that they could change/cancel/refund at any time. They stopped this a few years ago.

Thanks,

Donna

Adam1222

Yes, you can buy insurance up until 24 hours of the flight. And then if something happens 12 hours before the flight, it will cover you. But insurance cannot cover things that have happened already. By definition, that would not be insurance, which is insuring you against future risk-- not undoing what has happened in the past.

Not trying to beat up on you here but making sure you realize that buying insurance today and filing a claim based on what happened yesterday is *not* a viable option.

Often1

The question isn't whether you can purchase a policy, it is whether the policy will cover your father for a pre-existing condition. It won't. If it did, nobody in their right mind would buy insurance until they had a need for it !

Carriers got rid of special deals such as you mention as seniors traveled more. Once upon a time, it would have been a remarkable event for a couple in their 80's to travel across the country alone. Now, it is hardly that.

djibouti

Check if the credit card used to pay has a travel interruption benefit. This would most likely cover the change fee to reinstate which might actually get you $400 back in cash rather than waived as a credit. Can't do both though... get the waiver or claim the change fee.

DonnaH

I will look in to it, thanks.

Donna

DonnaH

Makes sense. I thought it was odd to allow you to purchase that close to travel, I thought most required purchase when you bought your tickets, although most aren't that costly either. $180 per ticket is very high.

Donna

gilbertaue

This

DonnaH

I know they used an American Express as that is the only credit card my dad has. He has had the same one since the 1960s.

Not sure he will be able to figure that out before the flight, but he should be able to before needing to book another flight.

Thanks

countingmiles

DonnaH, your parents may have luck with Amex, see below.

I have a similar question. Was looking into deciding how to insure an airfare for my elderly parents.

One option to is to pay for the airfare with a credit card with insurance.

My Amex Platinum has a $10,000 cancellation insurance but it seems to only cover if I am also on the trip, which I am not.
https://www.americanexpress.com/laci...e_Benefits.pdf

Citi AA Executive has a $1500 reimburse insurance, not sure if I have to be on the trip. I will contact Citi for clarification.

The other is to buy an insurance.

djibouti

This may actually be to his detriment as if it's truly the same card for the last 50 years it may not have modern benefits.

You need to find out the exact card, or call AMEX and ask.