Airline taking advantage of people during crisis
 

On April 14, 2009 I bought a package deal (flight and hotel) from Orbitz.com. Due to the CDC and US government warnings I contacted Orbitz on 4/30/09 to cancel and ask for refund. Orbitz promptly refunded my hotel money and told me Continental was not giving refunds. I contacted Continental on 4/30/09 at 7:35pm and they refused to give a refund but offered to give me a credit for less than half my money spent if I used it within a year. I asked to speak with a manager and a fellow named "Tony" told me my money would not be refunded and the CDC was "just a recommendation" and "they have a vaccine now" for the swine flu. I informed him he was an idiot and I was following the recommendation of the CDC instead of "Tony" of continental. I asked for his identifying number and he told me it was "SB" and that he could not help me. I informed him I had a pacemaker and was not going to ignore the governments recommendations. I feel that Continental is wrongly using this disaster to profit (keeping money for services not given or giving fraction of money within a year). I am likely not able to take a vacation within the year. I would like all my money refunded minus a service fee. No US business should profit off of this disaster.

Please refer to Continental's website on their policy regarding the Swine flu outbreak. http://www.continental.com/web/en-US...elnotices.aspx

Just because it's a rule doesn't make it right
 

I've already read the Continential website. I see their policy, but that doesn't make it right. Stingy company, I'll never use them again, sadly I never have used them this was going to be my first experience with them.

Sorry you feel that way, however NONE of the US airlines who fly to the affected areas of Mexico are offering refunds. They are, like Continental, offering to re-book your travel with no fees which, in my opinion, is very generous considering that an influenza outbreak, like the weather, is something completely out of the airlines' control.

I'm not sure I understand a detail in your original post. How is it your credit would be less than half of what you paid? On Continental an unused ticket retains full value which can be applied to a new ticket. If the new ticket is more you will pay the difference to the higher fare. If the new ticket is less you will receive a voucher for the difference.

Finally, when you purchased your package on Orbitz did you buy the optional travel insurance? I'm not sure to what extent it would cover this situation but had you purchased insurance you may be able to file a claim with the insurance company.

did 1/2 the money go to the hotel since you bought a package? I have book tours to Hawaii and some other places were the airfare was called bulk airfare and the hotel being included lower the rate of the package.

probably a $200 ticket with a $150 change fee....most airlines will set time limits on rebooking with no penalties. although for this event i don't think they are setting a rebook by date other than the expiration date of the ticket.....which is also very generous for an airline to do.

from continentals website

"Change fees and/or additional fare collection will be waived if the rescheduled flights are booked in the original fare class to the same city pairs as originally ticketed and rescheduled"

they probably want to go somewhere else and continental won't waive the change fee for this circumstance

Facts about the Swine Flu.
 

PEOPLE: please do not be alarmed by the news media and all the extremist groups (right and left) exiguous who want to create fear in our society. The Swine flu is just another flu virus strain that happens to be contagious by humans and pigs. Human infants and the elderly are most susceptible to the flu because of the human immune system that does does not work properly at such ages. Remember the bird flu and how the media made such a big deal about it a few years back? It is no different.

You are more likely to die from lightening striking you down than dying from the swine flu. You can not catch the swine flu from eating pork!

But I respect the elderly concern and wanting their money back from the airline. I realize that the airlines make these complicated rules concerning refunds. I understand that airlines are a complex business but they should not make their tickets so dern complicated! Most of the general public are not lawyers nor can they afford to pay a personal relations experts to engage in costly contracts reading the contracts involved.

In the case of Continental, if the flight was not cancelled, then a full refund will not be issued unless a feundable ticket was purchased. I dissagree with this practice. If the ticketing process was more simple, then trying to figure out how to make a profit would me more simple. Not to mention where the losses are coming from. That just seems like common sense.

The swine flu is just another strain of the flu with a fancy name that happens to effect people with weak immunity. Wash your hands periodically, especially before eating and rubbing our eyes, nose and mouth will keep you safe from the swine flu, other flus and the common cold. EDUCATE yourself before making a conclusion.

The CDC and US government should never have issued that warning. There are currently more swine flu cases in the state of Massachusetts, than in the Mexican state of Veracruz, where some say (and this is now disputed) that the flu outbreak started. You would have been just as safe if you took the flight as you were staying home. The US is prone to huge (and unfair) exaggerations about problems in Mexico.