South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Jet set with ... Jesse Posey
Jesse Posey said that one of the perks of “Selena: The Series” is filming on location. Posey portrays Selena Quintanilla’s guitarist and husband, Chris Perez, in the Netflix series. “We filmed mostly in Rosarito, Mexico,” said the 26-yearold actor, who is Mexican American. “Then (we shot) quite a bit in Tijuana and a few times in Ensenada. Ensenada stood out to me because my grandparents used to own a house there on the beach. I was only 5 the last time I was there, so I don’t remember much. But I thought it was dope to be back there. Mexico is awesome. I might have to move there.” Based out of Burbank, California, Posey stays in touch with his fans on Instagram (@jpose13).
Q: How are you dealing with not being able to easily hop on a plane during this pandemic?
A: I’ve been taking walks and drives with just me and my music. I have taken a few trips — road-tripped to Utah with a few friends to do a little camping and (took) a short trip to Arizona to do a little drinking.
Q: If you had travel plans last year and had to cancel, where were they to?
A: I was going to go to Miami with my best friend to watch the Miami Dolphins play. Unfortunately, we were unable to. So, Miami 2021!
Q: I am not sure if you have ever faced racism because of your heritage. Was it eye-opening to play Chris Perez and see how Selena had to overcome so many barriers?
A: I am very lucky to have never faced racism in my life, though I have seen it. Selena did face racism, but she also faced the troubles of being a big star. And piling those two on top of each other must have been a great challenge.
But Selena was the kind of person who was ready to face anything. Though she had her own insecurities, she would never let racism get in her way. She was above it. She knew her worth. She had the support of her fans, her family and her husband.
Q: What is your favorite vacation destination?
A: That’s a tough one. Mexico is great. Great people. Great food. Great mezcal. But I did go to the United Kingdom for about two weeks and we hit a lot of different towns, London being one of them, for about a day. We found ourselves on the west end of town, I think. Hard to remember. Lots of Guinness. But we kicked it at this bar that sat alongside a river and we just hung there and drank beer as the sun set. Beautiful time.
Q: What is your best and/or worst vacation memory?
A: Best was going with my brother (actor Tyler Posey) a few years ago to Toronto, where we once briefly lived as kids. One night, we drank a lot and stayed up till 10 in the morning the next day, cruising through town (and) messing around. It was a real brother moment. The worst was probably the hangover after I woke up. Just kidding. I never have a bad time on a vacation. How could you? It’s vacation.
Q: Where would you like to go that you have never been to before?
A: Ireland!
A: If your airline ticket was refundable, you should be able to get a full refund. Unfortunately, airlines have taken their time during the pandemic. They were slow before, and they’re even slower now.
Your case is instructive for anyone planning an international trip in 2021. Passports and visas are your responsibility, not your airline’s. Had Alitalia allowed you to board your flight with the wrong visa, it could have faced government fines. So make sure you have permission to enter the country before you book your ticket.
What paperwork do you need? If you live in the U.S., check the U.S. Department of State site at https://travel.state.gov/. Also, visit the International Air Transport Association site at www.iatatravelcentre.com/, which keeps the most up-to-date visa information.
You kept a great paper trail of the correspondence between you and Alitalia. It would have been good if you also sent the information to an executive contact at the airline, asking for their assistance. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of all the Alitalia managers on my consumer advocacy site at www.elliott.org/ company-contacts/alitalia/.
Looking at your case, I think part of the delay was related to COVID
19. Another part was just normal airline shenanigans. Alitalia appears to have misread the terms of your ticket, falsely claiming that they owe you a ticket credit. By the way, if they’d persisted, you could have filed a credit card chargeback. In the U.S., the Fair Credit Billing Act protects you against charges for products or services not delivered, which this certainly was.
I contacted Alitalia on your behalf. It issued a $700 refund.
Christopher Elliott is the chief advocacy officer of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers resolve their problems. Contact him at elliott.org/help or chris@elliott.org.