Open Letter to the Southwest Airline Execs: I am just adding my name to the list of those who have been completely blindsided by this pandemic and would like to express my deep disappointment in Southwest Airlines for not being a little more lenient with theie refund policy under these extenuating circumstances. This is not your typical, "Oh, I changed my mind, I'm not going" type of situation. Our lives and livelihoods are being completely upended. The executive branch of the company must take another look at our refund requests and respond compassionately. When the airlines need a bailout, they don't blink an eye when requesting billions in tax dollars that come out of our pockets. But the $324 that I desperately need right now while I have no way of knowing where my next 10 cents is coming from? This is WRONG. Look... I understand that the two customer service reps I spoke to on the phone are only doing their jobs and have no authorization to change policy. So I politely thanked them, and well - here I am! I'm a 67-year-old cancer survivor which translates to diminished capacity and a lot less stamina than I had 5 or 6 years ago. To quote Gary Kelly's LinkedIn profile, "Under Gary’s leadership, Southwest has grown to become the nation’s largest airline in terms of originating domestic passengers carried and is a mainstay on Fortune magazine’s list of the most admired companies in the world". That being the case, it would be a magnanimous gesture and most appreciated by me and I'm sure many others who are in a similar predicament. When I booked this flight, I intentionally went with Southwest because I did not want to leave my fate in the hands of a cheap third-party online travel agent. So please prove my faith in Southwest Airlines to be right... and do the right thing. Hal C. halinphilly@gmail.com
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