When my partner and I went to board our flight MSP to DEN departing at 10:15 am, on June 26th we…read morewere informed that we did not have seats.
They put us in line to the ticket agent who informed us that they had downsized the plane and 20 people would be denied boarding.
They handed us a card that had a QR code that simply linked to their refund info page.
They also handed us a sheet titled "Notice to Passengers if Denied Boarding"
This described the DOT 14 CFR 250 rule which says "If the carrier does not offer alternate transportation that is planned to arrive at the airport of the passenger's destination or first stopover less that two hours after the planned arrival time of the passenger's original flight -- over 2 hours arrival delay: 400% of one-way fare (not to exceed $2,150)
After handing us these two items, the ticket agent said he could get us on a flight leaving after 10pm that evening.
Seeing that we would be compensated 400% of the ticket price as that was an almost 12-hour delay, as per the notice sheet they provided us, we declined that booking and opted to find another airline flying into Denver that day.
The ticket agent told us we would receive an email from Frontier within the next 24 hrs about how to process that refund. We still have not received that email as of writing this on the 30th, four days later.
We booked Southwest flight leaving at 1:20 pm.
Later that evening, already in Denver, around 9pm, my partner received a notification that her flight to Denver would be boarding soon from MSP. We did not request to book this flight.
Concerned, she called customer service and spent about 45 minutes trying to explain the situation and cancel that flight that she never booked.
Finally, she was able to get them to cancel the 10pm flight, and they told her she would be refunded.
Then, when she tried to do the same for my flight, they told us that I was marked as a no-show at the airport. I explained that was impossible, as I learned I was denied boarding from the agent at the gate who scanned my boarding pass. At the gate. In person.
They said I needed to call the Denver airport and get whoever marked me as a no-show to remove that from my status before they could process my refund.
When I first called the number they gave me , it was Frontier ticketing service, but as I moved through the automated menu as directed, I ended up with a message saying I was eligible for a medical alert device (I'm 44) and then it hung up on me. The next time I called it went right to the medical alert message and again hung up on me. The last time I called the number simply stopped working,
Later that evening I tried the Frontier customer service line again and finally reaching a supervisor after negotiations with the initial representative, I explained the situation (this time there was no mention from them of my being a no-show, so have no idea what that was about). When he learned I had the notice to passengers form (14 CFR 250), he told me he'd process my $166.98 refund for the ticket, and send me a $250 voucher, but for the additional refund, I would need to share that notice via the refund form on their customer service page
That form did not work (and still doesn't as of the writing of this).
The next day when I called customer service to tell them their refund form wasn't working, this person told me I was ineligible for the 400% refund because I had accepted a $250 voucher. Their supervisor told me the same thing. I explained I had not asked for that voucher and that I didn't want it, and that the only reason we opted for a more expensive ticket was because we had been told by frontier we would receive a 400% refund as per 14 CFR 250. They can have the voucher back, I never want to fly with Frontier again anyway.
They insisted there was nothing they could do. As of this point, we have no means of restitution.
At every turn throughout this, they gaslit us, lied (about my being a no-show, about my "accepting" a voucher), insisted there were things they couldn't do until we kept pushing (even for simply the initial refund). The numbers and websites they gave us did not work, and in the end denied us the refund that the DOT requires they provide.
I assume frontier just thinks people will give up, and so they have no problem doing things like overbooking 20 passengers who they assume will just eat that loss while they get that profit without having to pay the compensation that those people deserve.
I know it's very privileged to be complaining about a bad experience flying, but this is the future of our society as corporations are held less and less accountable, they'll be able to take your money and there will be nothing you can do about it.
