Early check-in fee wasn’t included in airline refund

QSouthwest Airlines canceled my flight from Baltimore to Las Vegas in April. I was supposed to be there for a convention. The airline offered me a voucher, but I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to use it. My client also holds another much larger event in Las Vegas in August, but it’s not clear if it’s going to happen this year. Southwest couldn’t have been nicer. A representative immediately agreed to a refund. But they didn’t include the EarlyBird purchase I’d made. Instead, they offered a $50 voucher, which I could use for a future EarlyBird purchase. I’d like to get a full refund for my ticket, including the EarlyBird purchase. Can you help me?

I think these fees should be included in the refund of your ticket purchase. But it’s not clear if the government’s refund rules apply to them.

Airlines are trying to conserve cash during these difficult times, so I can’t blame Southwest for offering you a voucher. But I think the representative should have given you a choice between a voucher and a refund.

I list the names, numbers and email addresses of Southwest Airlines’ executives on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.

Two days after Southwest offered you the EarlyBird vouchers, it followed up with an email claiming you had initiated the cancellation. “We are unable to refund your nonrefundable EarlyBird Check-in purchase,” it added.

You had not canceled the flight, and you also interpreted the government’s refund requirement as I do — that a full refund is due, including any fees. You reached out to the Southwest contacts on my advocacy site, noting that you had not canceled your flight.

You received a personal apology from Southwest agreeing to a refund of the EarlyBird fees. Southwest also told you to keep the $50 voucher. Now that’s what I call a resolution.