Colorado’s attorney general requested the U.S. Department of Transportation on Tuesday to investigate issues which Frontier Airlines failed to refund the price of flights canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak and made it practically impossible for people to use vouchers for other flights during the pandemic.
In a sales copy to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Attorney General Phil Weiser mentioned the office of his had received more than hundred complaints coming from Colorado and 29 other states regarding the Denver-based low cost carrier since March, over every other business.
People said Frontier refused to issue them your money back when flights had been canceled due to the pandemic, that Weiser mentioned violated department regulations that refunds are actually due even when cancellations are due to circumstances beyond airlines’ control. Others who received vouchers for use on future flights after voluntarily canceling the travel plans of theirs were not able to redeem them. Some were rejected through the airline’s site and were unable to extend the 90 day time limit for making use of them or perhaps had been restricted to using the vouchers on simply one flight, he wrote. Still other people who sought assistance through the airline’s customer care line had been recorded on hold for many hours and were disconnected regularly, he said.
Weiser believed that the Department of Transportation was at the most effective position to investigate the complaints and said it should issue fines of up to $2,500 per violation when appropriate.
Chronic problem? DOT warns airlines? yet again? to issue refunds for canceled flights right after getting 25,000 complaints
Companies cannot be permitted to make the most of consumers during the time and should be held responsible for deceptive and unfair conduct, he mentioned in a declaration.
Frontier said it’s remained in full compliance with division rules as well as regulations regarding flight changes, cancellations and refunds.
Throughout the pandemic, Frontier Airlines has acted in great faith to look after the passengers of ours compassionately and fairly, the company said in a statement.
Complaints about obtaining refunds from airlines surged this particular spring. In May, Chao requested airlines to be as considerate and flexible as you possibly can to the requirements of passengers which face economic hardship.
In the department’s May air travel consumer report, the most recent available, Frontier had the third highest fee of overall grumbles, trailing Hawaiian Airlines and United Airlines. The report counts only complaints from buyers which go through the trouble of filing a complaint with the unit, not those who just complain to an airline.
