The Not-So-Friendly Skies

A year ago, my husband and I flew to Mexico. This was not our first time going, and I fly quite a bit for business as well, so we were used to the inconveniences that flying can sometimes bring.

From start to finish, however, we were incredibly disappointed in the airline. From rude personnel balking at lending us a pen for filling out custom forms, to getting a beverage spilled all over me without so much of an apology, the trip down was not not great. Excitement over being on vacation allowed us to brush off the rudeness.

Our return trip was a disaster. Our flight out of Cancun was delayed due to mechanical failure, so we missed our connecting flight in Dallas. We were given absolutely no assistance in getting another flight. The flight and gate attendants were beyond rude. Although I do not fly this particular airline often, I do fly one of its partner airlines, and I was startled by how we were treated. We were told on board the airplane that gate attendants in Dallas would assist us, but there were no gate attendants there at all. There was another connecting flight that we could have made, but when we finally tracked someone down, they refused to assist us in getting tickets for that flight.

We had to stay overnight in a crappy hotel, wait over an hour for a shuttle to bring us there, were not given the meal vouchers that we were promised, and then had to spend the entire next day at the airport, trying to fly standby home. It was a nightmare. I know that delays are a part of air travel, but it was the way that we were treated that so completely amazed me.

I wrote the airline and we were given a voucher for $200. It had to be used within a year. Due to infertility treatments and then a pregnancy where it was advised that I not fly, we never had a chance to use it. It expired in June.

In April, I called to see if we could get an extension on the voucher, maybe six months or so. I explained the medical reasons behind our request. A month later, I received a standard form letter, explaining that it would not be reissued.

So, I then e-mailed the company's website, asking for reconsideration due to the extenuating circumstances and explained that I was not allowed to fly due to a high risk pregnancy.

I just got the e-mail back today. The response?

"Although we understand your situation, pregnancy is a common occurance and not reason for us to make an exception to our corporate policy. We will not be reissuing your voucher and hope that you will choose us again in the future for your travel needs."

I would rather walk to Mexico than take this airline again.