• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • TravelingDad

Traveling Mom

Traveling tips, deals, info from moms and families

  • COVID-19
  • Road Trips
    • ROAD TRIPS ACROSS THE USA
    • ROAD TRIP PLANNER
    • ILLINOIS ROAD TRIPS
    • TEXAS ROAD TRIPS
    • GEORGIA ROAD TRIPS
    • CALIFORNIA ROAD TRIPS
    • NORTHEAST ROAD TRIPS
    • MIDWEST ROAD TRIPS
  • Destinations
    • Northeast
    • Southeast
    • East Coast
    • Midwest
    • South
    • Southwest
    • Northwest
    • West
    • US Cities
      • New York City
      • Chicago
      • Los Angeles
      • Orlando
      • San Diego
      • San Francisco
  • Disney
    • Disneyland
    • Walt Disney World
    • Disney Worldwide
    • Disney Cruise
    • Discount Disney World Tickets
  • Outdoors
    • Skiing
    • National Parks
    • RV/Camping
    • Beaches
  • Travel Resources
    • Babies and Toddlers
    • Free Things to Do
    • Packing
    • Discount Attractions Tickets
    • Discount Disney World Ticket
    • Discount Universal Tickets
    • Grandparents
    • Cruising
    • TravelingDad
  • Search
  • COVID-19
  • Road Trips
    • Road Trips Across the USA
    • Road Trip Planner
    • Illinois Road Trips
    • Texas Road Trips
    • Georgia Road Trips
    • California Road Trips
    • Northeast Road Trips
    • Midwest Road Trips
  • US National Parks
  • RV and Camping
  • Beaches
  • Disney
    • Disneyland
    • Walt Disney World
    • Disney Worldwide
    • Disney Cruise
    • Discount Disney World Tickets
  • Cruises
  • Skiing
  • Free Things to Do
  • Traveling with Babies and Toddlers
  • Traveling Grandparents
  • TravelingDad
  • US Destinations
    • Northeast
    • Southeast
    • East Coast
    • Midwest
    • South
    • Southwest
    • Northwest
    • West
  • US Cities
    • NYC
    • Chicago
    • Los Angeles
    • Orlando
    • San Diego
    • San Francisco
  • International
  • Travel Resources
    • Book A Trip
    • Discount Attractions Tickets
    • Discount Disney World Tickets
    • Discount Universal Tickets
    • Packing
  • Contact Us
  • About Us

Mobile Menu

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
You are here: Home / Travel Tips / Thank You, JetBlue: A Flight Cancellation Story with a Happy Ending
Have you had to cancel a flight unexpectedly due to a medical emergency? If you assume the low fare you booked is non-refundable, think again.

Thank You, JetBlue: A Flight Cancellation Story with a Happy Ending

November 28, 2016 //  by Cathy Bennett Kopf//  4 Comments

FacebookTweetPinLinkedIn
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • When the Unexpected Happens
  • JetBlue to the Rescue
  • Normal or Not?
  • Lessons Learned
  • A History of Kind Gestures

Have you had to cancel a flight unexpectedly due to a medical emergency? If you’re a budget traveler (aren’t we all?) and you book the lowest possible fare, it generally comes with a big warning that it is non-refundable. But don’t assume the worst if your plans take an unforeseen detour.

Have you had to cancel a flight unexpectedly due to a medical emergency? If you assume the low fare you booked is non-refundable, think again.
Paradise delayed. My family was really looking forward to a pre-holiday getaway to enjoy some stunning Key West sunsets. Photo: Allison Kopf

When the Unexpected Happens

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and buy, TravelingMom may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you.

My husband recently had a complicated gall bladder removal. He was recovering nicely, had returned to work, and was looking forward to a quick getaway to Key West before holiday season erupts. We planned to meet my sister and daughter for a fun weekend of drinks on Duval Street, a tour of Ernest Hemingway’s home, and some glow-in-the-dark paddleboarding.

And then he didn’t feel too good. There was pain, a trip to the ER, a CAT scan, and a stay in the hospital. Fortunately, he responded to treatment and is on the mend. But he was placed on the “no fly” list for a couple of months by his doctor. She gave us a note and I steeled myself for a prolonged and nasty ground war with the airline about canceling our flights.

I booked our JetBlue flights using True Blue frequent flier points, over 65,000 of them. When I added in the tax, I estimated we stood to lose about $950 in hard earned travel. At best, I expected to get a portion of the points refunded if I paid a cancellation penalty. At worst, I feared I’d lose the whole enchilada.

JetBlue to the Rescue

After holding in the 1-800-JETBLUE queue for about 6 minutes, a friendly customer service agent answered the phone. Before I could get “emergency room” off my tongue, she pulled up my flight information. Then she told me she’d be right back after she contacted True Blue, the JetBlue points program, and assured me that everything – EVERYTHING – would be credited back to our account.

Have you had to cancel a flight unexpectedly due to a medical emergency? If you assume the low fare you booked is non-refundable, think again.
I can’t thank JetBlue enough for giving my family a happy ending to our travel story. Photo: Margalit Sturm Francus, Autism TravelingMom

I sat on hold for another 15 minutes, assuming she was fired and a manager was going to come on the line and reverse course. But she returned, told me the points were deposited, and credits were issued for the tax. She also said she’d waived the change fees. I asked if she needed me to send a copy of the doctor’s note. She said no and wished my hubby a speedy recovery. I hung up the phone, stunned and grateful.

Normal or Not?

I asked my fellow TravelingMoms about their experiences canceling flights and obtaining refunds. Tania Lamb, Latina TravelingMom, describes her feel good story: “We had a similar experience with Southwest last year and Christmas flights. Three of the kids had the flu, so we decided not to fly. They changed my family of seven’s flights for no charge to a couple days later.”

However, Nasreen Stump, Road Warrior TravelingMom, had a negative experience with, surprisingly, the airline that treated me so well: “I went into preterm labor with my daughter while I was still traveling for work. I was in the hospital for seven days and then got permission to do bed rest from home. Called JetBlue to cancel a flight the next week and the rep told me I should have called while I was in the hospital but since I was home they couldn’t do anything. After several managers and me threatening to take the flight and sprinkle my amniotic fluid all over the plane, I finally got a refund. But I really really had to work for it.”Have you had to cancel a flight unexpectedly due to a medical emergency? If you assume the low fare you booked is non-refundable, think again.

Lessons Learned

This adventure in booking and cancellation definitely taught me a few lessons. The most important one is to know the rules and regulations regarding the ticket you’re purchasing. I didn’t. I assumed my ticket was totally non-refundable. You know what happens when you assume….. I looked back through me emails after the refund, and realized the ticket I purchased was refundable. However, there were cancellation charges involved. In my case, these were waived.

All of the airlines handle their ticket reveals differently. Delta, for example, projects a pop-up with this ominous warning when you purchase one of their Basic Economy tickets:

Have you had to cancel a flight unexpectedly due to a medical emergency? If you assume the low fare you booked is non-refundable, think again.
There are no shades of grey with Delta’s warning about fare restrictions.

So much for plausible deniability.

Secondly, have your paperwork ready. Getting the doctor’s note wasn’t necessary in my case, but I had it on hand and could fax it to JetBlue if they requested it.

And, finally, consider travel insurance. I haven’t, in the past, but this little adventure has put it on the top of my things to research in the new year. If we’d booked non-refundable hotel rooms on this trip, I don’t know if I’d have been able to recoup that money. Or, if my husband had gotten sick while we were away, we could have incurred large bills that travel insurance would have covered.

A History of Kind Gestures

I really shouldn’t be surprised by my experience. JetBlue has provided feel good moments in the past, including a wonderful outreach program supporting Long Island’s Henry Viscardi School. It’s a truly special place with a mission to educate, employ, and empower people with disabilities.

Given the tumult of the 2016 election season and the vitriol of the rhetoric on television, Facebook and Twitter, and even on checkout lines in the neighborhood grocery store, it was really reassuring to be reminded that there are very nice people in this country and that companies can show compassion and kindness.

Have you had to cancel a flight unexpectedly? Did you have a positive or negative experience?

TravelingMom Tip: Protect yourself while traveling with Medjet. 2020 Medjet Members hospitalized with active COVID-19 infections are now eligible for Air Medical Transport within the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. Learn more about how to become a Member here.
FacebookTweetPinLinkedIn

Category: Travel Tips

Previous Post: «Kiss the carps during the New Years celebration in Prairie due Chien, WI 15+ New Years Eve Ball Drops You’ve Never Heard About
Next Post: Beaches Negril Resort and Spa: Can you go for a just a long weekend? See why Long Weekend Traveling Mom feels like Beaches Negril Resort and Spa should be on the list for families to enjoy a long weekend with tons of fun.»

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

4 Comments on “Thank You, JetBlue: A Flight Cancellation Story with a Happy Ending”

  1. Jenn says:
    October 16, 2017 at 8:43 pm

    I will say that we have always had amazing service with Jet Blue. Glad it worked for you tool. Can’t believe how they treated Nasreen. Excellent lessons learned.

    Reply
  2. Christine Tibbetts says:
    November 29, 2016 at 1:55 pm

    Happy news indeed.

    Reply
  3. Anonymous says:
    November 29, 2016 at 1:55 pm

    4.5

    Reply
  4. Cathy Bennett Kopf, Optimism TravelingMom says:
    November 28, 2016 at 8:37 pm

    5

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Ask Us!
  • Privacy & Terms
  • Manage Push Notifications
  • Site Admin

Copyright © 2021 Traveling Mom · All Rights Reserved