Denied boarding compensation: Why Alaska Airlines owes a $3,244 refund under EU261
Sherry Fadely is turned away at the gate when she tries to board her flight in Madrid. Can she get compensation for being denied boarding? And who should pay her?
The Travel Troubleshooter is a weekly consumer column that solves travel problems. Missing cruise refunds, lousy airline service, car rental surcharges — it’s all fair game for this feature. Each story presents a problem and fixes it in a quick Q&A format.
Sherry Fadely is turned away at the gate when she tries to board her flight in Madrid. Can she get compensation for being denied boarding? And who should pay her?
Nicholas Chandler was rear-ended while driving an Avis rental car. Even though the other driver was at fault, Avis charged him for the entire time the car was out of commission. Can he get a refund?
Steve Eliason cancels a hotel booked through Hotels.com after the owner goes into labor and closes the property. But Hotels.com still charges him for the room. What happens when a third-party booking site fails to honor a cancellation?
American Airlines changes Erica Remer’s flight without telling her. Now she’s trying to get a refund for the original ticket. Why won’t the airline help her?
Glenn Roberts gets a surprise bill for $1,357 two months after he returns his car to National. What is it for — and why can’t he get the car rental company to refund it?
Why is RVshare holding Aaron Olbrich’s $1,500 deposit after he returns his rental van? And can he ever get his money back?
When Jose Portela tries to cancel one of his airline tickets on ITA, the carrier cancels the wrong one. Now he has to pay more for a new ticket. Shouldn’t the airline cover his loss?
Tom Mason gets locked out of his vacation rental in Italy. Why is Booking.com ignoring his requests for help?
After Virgin Atlantic cancels Peter Ross’s flight from Washington to London, he asks for his Chase points back. Why isn’t he getting them?
David Ponzevic must pay $80 to check his bags on an American Airlines flight — even though his bags are supposed to be “free.” Can he get a refund?