03-13-2010
03:15 PM
11 Loves
Gary,
SW is and has been a great and innovative airline, which I try first whenever I fly. I'm commenting because I hope that you can help cut through some administrative and perhaps policy/proceedure red tape. Our church's missionary group (First Trinity Lutheran Church, Tonawanda, NY) was in Haiti at the time of the earthquake. Fortunately, after helping the orphans to relocate in the first two days, they were able to be airlifted by the US Air Force to Florida and subsequently reached home. SW initially offered vouched as a refund mechanism for the unable to be used return tickets to Buffalo. This really is not helpful or useful to the church. A refund of cash is what is needed. For whatever reasons, SW is resisting this cash refund and requiring "proof" of how the missionaries got out of Haiti, etc. Given the overall circumstances of the quake, the fortunate ability of all to be airlifted to various airbases and their need to arrange alternate air travel from locations not serviced by SW, it would be appreciated if you could cut through the redtape delays and rather difficult requirements to prove why these tickets were unused. These people and the church should not have to suffer financial loss (vouches vs a full cash refund) as a result of their interrupted mission trip.
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Tim Hartnett
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