Woman wins compensation from airline after being made to travel economy

20 January 2024 , 14:29

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Linda Pouliot and her sister were told at their airport that their booking was nowhere to be found (Image: No credit)

A woman has won a compensation battle with an airline after she was downgraded from business class to economy.

Linda Pouliot, from Bedford, Texas, had planned a birthday trip to Canada with her sister on United Airlines, but the flight was to be operated by Air Canada, which she found "strange", so she called the airline to confirm that their booking was valid.

Linda said: "I contacted them a couple of days before the trip to validate that you know, we were all set because I thought it was a little strange that I knew I booked it with United but it was Air Canada, and they assured me that everything was good."

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Linda Pouliot confirmed with the airline that the booking was valid before the flight (NBCDFW)

However, when the two sisters arrived at the airport, they found out that their booking couldn't be found due to a system error, as they were told by employees of the airline. Linda explained: "Something happened when everything was syncing up. And apparently it didn't actually sync with them. And I said, but I've been talking with them and they've been telling me that I have this reservation and everything is fine."

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Eventually, the airline managed to find seats and put Linda and her sister on the flight. However, they were moved from business class to economy on the Air Canada flight, a big change from their original booking. The airline promised Linda that she would get a refund for the difference in ticket prices.

The woman sought help from the press and managed to get compensation (NBCDFW)

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But when she got home, there was no sign of the refund or any communication from the airline. She said: "I had gotten nothing in my email. I've got nothing on you know my account, showing me that I've gotten this refund or anything like that."

After getting nowhere with the airline, Linda turned to the press for help. NBC 5 Responds' chased up the airline, who quickly refunded Linda the cost difference and gave her an extra $800 (£630) in travel vouchers and cash.

United Airlines said: "In this instance, we made an exception to refund the difference for Ms Pouliot's reduced fare ticket," and added they, "provided travel certificates as a gesture of goodwill."

The Code of Federal Regulation states that passengers who are forced to downgrade should get a refund for the fare difference. Reflecting on her experience, Pouliot advises other travellers not to give up in getting what they're owed.

* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]

Vassia Barba