Author Topic: Help - Change Flight Date Due to Medical Emergency  (Read 2953 times)

Offline shmooz

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Help - Change Flight Date Due to Medical Emergency
« on: February 05, 2018, 03:31:29 PM »
booked  someone with biz plat 50% in J on UA, they had a medical emergency (can document)  and cant fly the original date.

On another thread I was advised to call Amex not UA.

They called United and said they might waive the change fee $450 but not the fare difference which is over $1000 even in the same fare class.

The original flight is soon, so any help you can give is appreciated.

Offline AJK

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Re: Help - Change Flight Date Due to Medical Emergency
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2018, 04:08:40 PM »
Unfortunately, Plat (unlike CSR, Prestige, and others) does not come with insurance for this type of things. You're at the mercy of UA/AmEx.

I believe with enough prodding/begging/letters, you probably can get UA to waive both the fee and fare difference.
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Offline shmooz

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Re: Help - Change Flight Date Due to Medical Emergency
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2018, 04:33:09 PM »
Unfortunately, Plat (unlike CSR, Prestige, and others) does not come with insurance for this type of things. You're at the mercy of UA/AmEx.

I believe with enough prodding/begging/letters, you probably can get UA to waive both the fee and fare difference.

Thanks

Called UA directly and they are not accommodating me, the change fee they will waive but not fare difference.

He said that if I cancel, the fare would be on hold to book another ticket. Is there no way to get the  points back  to Amex?

Offline chff

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Re: Help - Change Flight Date Due to Medical Emergency
« Reply #3 on: February 06, 2018, 09:32:43 AM »
Unfortunately, Plat (unlike CSR, Prestige, and others) does not come with insurance for this type of things. You're at the mercy of UA/AmEx.

You're at the mercy of United waiving the Add/Coll or Amex sponsoring the difference

Offline shmooz

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Re: Help - Change Flight Date Due to Medical Emergency
« Reply #4 on: February 06, 2018, 10:05:26 AM »
update- could not get amex or UA to help, so have the fare waiting in  voucher good for a year.

Next part of this is that we had bought travel insurance, but they will also only cover the change fee, not the difference in fare. Plus we have to buy a new policy on the new ticket.

If policies work like that in general, it's another reason not to buy them...


Offline chff

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Re: Help - Change Flight Date Due to Medical Emergency
« Reply #5 on: February 06, 2018, 10:19:48 AM »
update- could not get amex or UA to help, so have the fare waiting in  voucher good for a year.

Next part of this is that we had bought travel insurance, but they will also only cover the change fee, not the difference in fare. Plus we have to buy a new policy on the new ticket.

If policies work like that in general, it's another reason not to buy them...

Insurance should be able to cover your refund if you choose so

Offline flyingace

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Re: Help - Change Flight Date Due to Medical Emergency
« Reply #6 on: February 06, 2018, 10:21:21 PM »
Unfortunately, Plat (unlike CSR, Prestige, and others) does not come with insurance for this type of things. You're at the mercy of UA/AmEx.

I believe with enough prodding/begging/letters, you probably can get UA to waive both the fee and fare difference.
I have the same issue with a Norwegian ticket booked through CSR. Are you saying that CSR would cover the changes due to a medical issue? And I should contact CSR and not the airline?

Offline davidrotts63

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Re: Help - Change Flight Date Due to Medical Emergency
« Reply #7 on: February 06, 2018, 10:34:47 PM »
I have the same issue with a Norwegian ticket booked through CSR. Are you saying that CSR would cover the changes due to a medical issue? And I should contact CSR and not the airline?
They will cover, doctor note may be needed, if the airline will cover it'll likely be way easier
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Re: Help - Change Flight Date Due to Medical Emergency
« Reply #8 on: February 06, 2018, 10:48:41 PM »
I have the same issue with a Norwegian ticket booked through CSR. Are you saying that CSR would cover the changes due to a medical issue? And I should contact CSR and not the airline?
Depends on issue. Read terms. Contact CSR insurance. Number can be find in terms.
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Offline shmooz

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Re: Help - Change Flight Date Due to Medical Emergency
« Reply #9 on: February 07, 2018, 10:47:20 AM »
OP here with an update, maybe it will help someone else

Had the credit in United for next flight (minus $450 change fee). I applied for a refund of the $450 due to the situation. Attached  documentation. The next day there is a note from United that they are refunding the entire cost to my credit card. Essentially I traded the biz plat points for cash at 2cents each.

It may have helped that i emailed while logged into my premier account and that i have a lot of flights booked upcoming. (even though the passenger wasnt me)

It still is not a rebooking which I wanted and will cost current fares and very high, but it is satisfactory enough.


Offline zow

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Re: Help - Change Flight Date Due to Medical Emergency
« Reply #10 on: February 07, 2018, 11:17:15 AM »
I recently had a similar situation, though not of the same magnitude, with Amex and United. Amex was no help, but United came through.
Four of us will be traveling SFO-BOS on tickets bought with Amex Biz Plat. There is a schedule change of 20 minutes on the departure and 45 minutes on the arrival time...bringing us back to BOS 45 minutes later than originally promised. 

I called United, and they originally told me that they can't touch the ticket and that I had to call my TA. I contact Amex, and they said that the schedule change was not significant enough to satisfy UA's criteria for change without penalty (said it was 2 hours). Amex said sorry but can't help you.  I called back UA and explained the situation, told them that my TA, Amex, was totally unhelpful, and appealed to UA to provide excellent customer service.  The agent talked to his manager and went ahead and made the change for me, putting us on an earlier flight, with no change fees.  Really nice to see UA step up.


Offline chff

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Re: Help - Change Flight Date Due to Medical Emergency
« Reply #11 on: March 18, 2018, 02:08:13 PM »
I called United, and they originally told me that they can't touch the ticket and that I had to call my TA. I contact Amex, and they said that the schedule change was not significant enough to satisfy UA's criteria for change without penalty (said it was 2 hours). Amex said sorry but can't help you.

https://jetstream.united.com/#/sub-link/a0F36000006V2voEAC

Offline zow

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Offline chff

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Re: Help - Change Flight Date Due to Medical Emergency
« Reply #13 on: March 18, 2018, 02:28:51 PM »
Thanks! Another case of DROPR.
Who? Amex was correct

Offline zow

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Re: Help - Change Flight Date Due to Medical Emergency
« Reply #14 on: March 19, 2018, 11:31:01 AM »
Who? Amex was correct
What distinguishes Acceptable vs. Unacceptable?  If the pax says the change is unacceptable, wouldn’t the 30-minute change allow rescheduling to a different UA flight? See screen shot. 

Offline ual902

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Re: Help - Change Flight Date Due to Medical Emergency
« Reply #15 on: April 11, 2018, 10:10:42 PM »
What is AA policy on  hospitalization on a restricted ticket? Letter from hospital will help for a change or a refund?.