This kinda crap is part of what is so wrong with the world today. The HUMAN response should be to just give he old guy his money back and let him go die in peace. The lawyers and bean counters have everything so ********************ed up that showing any kind of human compassion or merely deviating from corporate policy can get you sued.
I am not well versed on the legalities of providing a refund on a non-refundable ticket and there might be legtimate concerns for Sprirt in that regard.
I cannot imagine this issue will cause Spirit any harm in the market place as I guess they are used on a pure cost basis by their customers. If there were any fallout, a reduction of a few bucks on tickets in select markets would most likely ramp up demand and offset any "boycott" activity.
I'm a veteran and have spent a good number of hours in the cockpit and around tables at Veteran Hospitals with Vietnam vets. I have a bias and one hell of a soft spot for a guy like this; not to mention the young souls who have survived ground ops in our most recent wars.
If I were the CEO of Spirit Airlines, I would make arrangements to meet with this man with no publicity allowed. Once there, I would express my sympathy for his medical condition, thank him from the bottom of my heart for his service to this nation and write him my personal check to compensate him for his ticket purchase which can longer be used.
Might not be a reasonable thing to do, even outside any capacity as an officer of the corporation. I understand this might be the kind of thing that happens on a regular basis and would be difficult if not impossible for a given CEO to manage without being overwhelmed.
I still believe it would be a good and decent act, maybe worth the risk. Of course as I said, I have my bias when it comes to vets. If this were a construction worker from Peoria, I am not sure I would have the same reaction.
