Traveler faces nightmare after flight canceled and airline denies refund

ByRandall Yip KGO logo

Thursday, February 2, 2023

Traveler faces nightmare after flight canceled, airline denies refund

A California man was denied a refund from an airline after his flight was canceled. Here's how 7 On Your Side's Michael Finney helped.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Flight cancellations have unfortunately been all too common this winter. 7 On Your Side's Michael Finney helped one such traveler.

Reggie Snowden enjoyed his business meetings in Guadalajara.

He had a good time bonding with co-workers and fellow event planners.

He booked his flight via Expedia three months in advance.

MORE: How to get refunds for canceled flights

Seven weeks later, he received a notice that his return flight had been canceled.

Aeromexico offered to move up his departure 12 hours.

"They wanted me to click and accept a flight back earlier, a little after 7 a.m. in the morning, which means I would have missed the last meeting," said Snowden.

He called Expedia which referred him to Aeromexico, but he said the airline offered no reasonable alternatives.

So he went back to Expedia, which suggested he cancel his return flight and rebook on another airline.

MORE: What are your rights if your flight is delayed? Or lose your luggage?

He had insurance and figured one way or the other, he'd get a refund for the canceled flight.

"And the flight insurance company, they were no help at all. I was asking them, 'Why do I have flight insurance?'" said Snowden.

So he went back and forth from Expedia to Aeromexico back to Expedia and again to Aeromexico.

At one point, he received this email from Expedia telling him, "We wanted to reach out to you and let you know that Delta Airlines has taken over flight booking from Expedia."

"I called Delta. I gave them the reference number, gave them everything. Delta had no idea what they were talking about," Snowden said.

MORE: SF woman rebooked on flight that didn't exist after Delta Air cancellation

Running out of options, he turned to 7 On Your Side and we reached out to Expedia.

The company told us: "We appreciate Mr. Snowden's patience as we worked with the airline to pursue his refund. We're happy to confirm the refund was processed, and to apologize for the delay. We have added Expedia points to Mr. Snowden's account to use on a future booking."

Reggie is pleased with the resolution.

The event planner says his experience will help him serve his customers better.

"It makes me want to do my job even better to make sure we're always aiming to please our guests," Snowden said.

Take a look at more stories and videos by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.

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