Requesting a Refund for Unused Travel When a Passenger Dies

A North Texas man, grieving the death of his brother, said he struggled to get a refund for air travel his brother wasn’t going to use.

'THIS ONE WAS VERY FRUSTRATING'

Less than two weeks before he was supposed to board a flight to London, 77-year-old Richard Free passed away.

His brother, Michael, said he notified travel website Orbitz.

“I said, ‘He's not going to make this trip on March 8. Please cancel the flight, please issue a refund.’ Instead of issuing a refund, they issued a credit,” Michael Free told NBC 5 Responds.

Free said he followed up with phone calls and emails requesting a refund and provided Orbitz with his brother’s death certificate.

By mid-June, Free showed NBC 5 Responds a response from Orbitz customer service saying the refund was still in review.

“I was doing everything possible that I could to protect Richard's estate and to collect whatever monies were due and this one was very frustrating,” Free said.

June 21, Free said the refund hit his brother’s account.

“My advice is to be persistent,” said Free.

REFUND POLICIES

An Orbitz spokesperson told NBC 5 Responds there was a delay in submitting the support documents Michael shared due to human error on the part of its agents.

“We understand how frustrating this situation has been and sincerely apologize for the stress and inconvenience this has caused. We send our condolences and want to thank Michael for giving us an opportunity to make things right,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to NBC 5 Responds.

Orbitz said, generally when it comes to refunds, vouchers or credits, the airlines determine the policy and Orbitz works with the airlines.

We also reached out to the airline, Virgin Atlantic. It said it can’t comment on Free’s case for data protection reasons. It said, generally, travelers who use a third party to book would have to make refund requests through that third party.

Virgin Atlantic said with a death certificate, a full refund can be made for unused flights.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, airlines aren’t required to issue a refund or voucher for non-refundable tickets if the passenger cancels or can’t travel. Though, many airlines do issue refunds when a passenger dies before a flight.

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