Hi,
First and foremost sympathies for your loss..
Speaking to how you say it was handled, I will say that it appears- only from what you've written and without the benefit of seeing your tickets fare rules and the like, that the airline did act in accordance with their posted and disclosed policy.
Could they have shown empathy? Absolutely.. but I also think that there's some element of equality to be spoken to.. I will tell you from an airlines point of view, once we start to make exceptions to rule, it can and often does become a "you did it for X, why not me?" situation.. and since in many cases we can't make it a flat blanket policy, the decision is made to simply say no. Is this the right way to address it? I don't think so.. but I also recognize the issues with running a business who conducts so many transactions and the need for some level of consistency in rule and application thereof.
I do however, think that all things considered your offered solution of going standby would have been one I'd have approved.. Sure, it was probably off-book, but I think it would be the best win-win for everyone..
As to the notion that agents were cold, unsympathetic, rude or the like.. None of us were there to hear who said what to whom and how.. but I will say that this absolutely does happen from time to time.. but .. I also know that for some people not getting the answer they want, hope or expect, can be perceived, rightly or wrongly, as rude or unsympathetic.. To me it's not so much as WHAT'S said that makes it rude or the like, its HOW it it's said.
When I speak to a passenger I am very careful that I'm not perceived as being unsympathetic but on the other-side of the spectrum, not patronizing either.. it's a fine line... but i do think that there's a difference between the notions of "didn't get what I wanted" and "was rude about it"... Rude is not acceptable... period.. and that goes for both parties..
As to the issue of being told about insurance.. I think I know where the agent was thinking or trying to going with that.. but I think that at that moment it's not the right time or place to bring it up..
Yes, in many travel cases having insurance would have helped mitigate the issue, but I generally don't like to bring up the fact that you (the passenger) don't have it due to the exact reason you describe-- it's commonly see as an attack-the-victim issue.. There's a right time to talk about it, but right then and there when your in the thick of it with the passenger isn't it.
|