Dealing with the death of a loved one is difficult enough, but dealing with an airline and trying to figure out the correct documentation to get an airline ticket refunded could make the situation worse. That was the case for on B.C. man.
Emeka Ossai was supposed to arrive in New Westminster on January 20 to pack his belongings before moving to Mexico to be with his wife and five-month-old daughter.
Unfortunately, he received news before Christmas that his uncle had passed away. It meant Ossai had to return home sooner for his uncle’s funeral. Ossai had purchased his original ticket for a United Airlines flight with U.K.-based online booking site, ebookers.com. He went directly to United’s website and looked at its ticket refund policy for an unplanned event.
United says, “refunds require a copy of the death certificate. If your change is due to the death of an immediate family member, the request must contain the family member’s name and relationship to you.”
It also states an uncle is considered an immediate family member. Ossai said he “went online, sent in the death certificate, sent in the notes explaining how I was related to him and waited to hear back.”
Ossai said he got a response the next day saying that since he booked the original ticket through a third party, he needed to go through them. Ossai did that and says ebookers.com contacted United, but the airline denied the refund and required proof of relationship to his relative.
“What type of proof of relationship is required? I go on their website and I can’t find anything,” said Ossai.
He says he he got the runaround for three weeks. On the advice of a travel agent he decided on his own to get a notarized letter proving his relationship with his uncle.
Ossai also contacted Global BC and its Consumer Matters team. Ossai says, “You guys contacted United on my behalf and then United called me.”
United eventually refunded Ossai’s ticket. In a statement to Global BC, United said, “We have reached out to Mr. Ossai to let him know that we are refunding his ticket in full. We regret any inconvenience caused by the delay in completing his request.”
Global BC also contacted United to clarify its refund policy and documentation requirements in cases of death, but were directed to the airline’s website.
Travel expert Claire Newell says when there is a death in the family and a flight has to be refunded things can get complicated, especially if you did not book through a travel agent. She says it’s important to be patient. Newell recommends contacting the airline immediately. If they purchased a non-refundable ticket, some carriers may waive the change fee, while others may make them for a new ticket, but offer a travel credit for the one that wasn’t used. More often than not, they’ll have to provide proof of relationship to the deceased and a death certificate.
Ossai just wishes it was more clear-cut.
“I would like to see more details online with their policies. If they require proof of relationship, give an example. What type of documents do you require?”
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