Family Stunned By Us Airways' Refund Response

[cavalier]

Piney,

Your statement about the family taking a trip while the child not having a clean bill of health was insensitive.

[post="182079"][/post]​

With all due respect, Bob was not the originator but was only passing along info he received. He was trying to do something good only to get his a-z-z- bitten off and why a lot of people refuse to step up to the plate to such circumstances.

In other words, give the guy a break, he didn't cause any harm. I am sorry for your loss, I can't even imagine it, but your rebuke IMO was out of place.

 

[airmax]

Capt. Airmax
Re: Urban Family Fund

Dear Fellow Pilots and Employees:

It was with great pride in my fellow pilots that I opened my mailbox this morning to find a flood of letters and checks postmarked September 20th, the day after a Fast-Read was sent out from our PHL LEC requesting help from the pilots for the Urban family in Philadelphia. I also received anonymous money in my mailbox at work when I returned from my checkride last weekend. But one of the biggest testaments to the generosity and big hearts of our pilots was that three of our furloughed pilots, retired pilots, PHL pilots and pilots based in CLT, DCA and PIT all made contributions to the fund.

I have never been more proud to be associated with all of our pilots, and I am most grateful that so many of you believed that this was the right thing to do. As is almost always the case, something good can come from a bad situation. In spite of our company's fiscal crisis, I know with certainty that it is because of our outstanding employees that we continue to fly.

So that you all know that your hearts and checks are going to the right place for the right reason, I would like to recap and update for all of you the reason for this fund: The original story about the Urban family appeared on Fri., Sept. 17th on NBC10 (Phila. local) at 6 and 11:00. After watching the initial broadcast, my wife and I contacted the reporter to let him know that as parents and as an employee , we wanted to help this family. As parents, we knew they were going through enough with their son, and as an employee, I didn't want them to have to deal with more than they already were.

While waiting for the 11:00 news, we phoned union members, who as you are aware, were up to their eyeballs preparing for meetings this week, to let them know what was going on and ask for authorization to send out a letter and start a fund for the family. They immediately got into action, and on the 11:00 show, while it was reported that a spokesperson said there would be no refund... "unless a member of the traveling party died," it was also reported that three people had called in to offer help; a businessman in Cherry Hill, a Phila. police officer and this pilot group.

The reason this information is important for all of you to know is because there have been accusations about who said what when, and misinformation disseminated about this family. None of that matters. The company knew that the broadcast was going to be aired. When the reporter called the company prior to the broadcast and asked if they had a statement, a company spokesman responded with "No refund." The piece aired with the report that due to the company's financial situation, they had to be prudent with their cash, and that there would be no refund unless one of the members of the traveling party died. The spokesman said he "hoped the company's explanation wouldn't offend the family."

While it is certainly understandable that the company has a strict policy on non-refundable tickets, and they surely get innumerable requests for refunds, there are always exceptions to the rules. Knowing that the story was going to be aired in a major market (PHL) by one of the major media outlets in the area, the company had the opportunity to not only put sunshine in the lives of a family and customer facing a parents' worst nightmare, but to also make public relations hay out of a bad situation. Instead it chose to continue on a P.R. nightmare, and in the process, give all employees a black eye.

While the company did not return phone calls from the union, on Saturday evening at 9:30, they did call the Urbans to say that this was turning into a P.R. nightmare. "It was the worst P.R. case they had every seen," and first offered a year's travel voucher, and finally a full refund. You should know that 6 year old Mike Urban is terminally ill. Last year when his cancer was found, his initial prognosis was a few weeks/months. The experimental chemo last year gave him this past year. Since his brain tumor has started regrowing, he is now undergoing experimental radiation treatments, that weren't even available last year, every day for the next six weeks. This procedure involves making a mask of his face, and placing it over his face and bolting it down to the table during the treatment. The family was seeking a refund to help pay for these treatments.

On Tuesday, a follow-up to the Urban story was aired on NBC10. Suffice it to say that our customers in Philadelphia got the message that the pilots/employees truly care about the Urbans. The reporter did call the company for a statement prior to the broadcast and received the following VOICE MAIL MESSAGE: "We reached a resolution with the family," and then hung up.

The Urbans, both to my wife and I personally and on the news, asked us to pass along to all of you that "We really, really appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts." They said you have no idea how much the outpouring of support, especially from the pilots and employees means to them.

My wife and I will be meeting with the family shortly. While the company has agreed to reimburse them for their tickets, we would like to continue this fund to make the family whole. The remaining amount collected will be sent to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia - Cancer Research in the name of Michael Todd Urban.

NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS AT THIS COMPANY NOW, I KNOW WE HAVE THE MOST PROFESSIONAL AND CARING PILOTS IN THE WORLD !! I SALUTE YOU ALL. THIS GROUP OF PILOTS TRULY WEARS WINGS!!


Regards,

Airmax


Contributions to the Urban Family Fund can be sent to:

Urban Family Fund
c/o Airmax
P.O. Box 32
Doylestown, PA 18901

 

[funguy2]

What a stupid move on the part of the company...

"We cannot process refunds because we are in BK"

What a bunch of crap. If the airline is allowed to operate normally by the BK court, then refunds, and exceptions to policies is part of normal operations. Could you imagine if the BK court had to individually approve refunds? What a crock.

I see that US Airways excellent public relations continues unabated...

I also see that the compassion of US Airways employees continues unabated...

 

[Reservation Agent]

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