My parents were recently traveling in Norway when my father became seriously ill. He spent several days in a hospital outside of Trondheim with severe pain. The doctors and my mother decided that my father could not continue on with his trip and that he should return to the US to seek further medical treatment. They had a return flight on SAS leaving approximately 12 days later. However, the hotel in which they were staying worked throug the concierge to get my father booked on a flight back home. Rather than paying a ticket change fee, my parents were charged USD $10,000 to get my father home to Seattle on standby. Feeling as if she had no other option and needing to get my father home to see an internal medicine specialist, my mother reluctantly agreed and got him home. The hotel staff was so outraged by the airline's behavior that they indicated they would be writing a letter to the local paper in protest.
SAS has refused to refund the price instead offering a $600 refund. My parents feel exploited by the medical emergency and SAS seems to have taken advantage of travelers with few options in the case of such an emergency. Frustrating to say the least. My parents have been loyal SAS travelers for many years and it is devestating to see a company respond in such a manner rather than attempt to assist passengers in a crisis.
