As of: March 12, 2024, 2:19 p.m
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Air New Zealand plane.
© Udo Weitz/dpa
A dream trip turns into a nightmare for an American couple when the wife is diagnosed with cancer while on vacation.
But instead of showing compassion, the airline charges exorbitant fees.
New Zealand -
An American couple, Patricia (75) and Todd (60) Kerekes, from New Hampshire, had planned to spend four months in New Zealand.
But her journey ended prematurely when Patricia received the devastating diagnosis of terminal gallbladder cancer while on holiday.
Husband “shocked” by rebooking costs
Determined to fly home immediately, the couple faced another challenge: rebooking their flights.
But instead of receiving support, she met with little understanding from the airline Air New Zealand, reports
rosenheim24.de
.
Todd Kerekes recalled a disappointing phone call with the airline in which, after four hours on hold, they informed them that they would have to pay a whopping $8,000 to rebook their return flights, on top of the $23,000 they had already paid for their business class flights. Tickets.
“I was really surprised that people weren’t more helpful,” the American told the New York Post.
Even though he had expected a rebooking fee, he was “shocked” by this amount.
Airline will reimburse rebooking costs
In a statement afterwards, an Air New Zealand spokesperson regretted the incident and said they had mishandled the situation.
They were aware that they had not lived up to expectations and assured that they would better adhere to their compassion guidelines in the future.
The airline apologized to the couple and refunded the full amount for the rebooking.
mh