OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – We’ve been told boarding a flight is at the safest point of the pandemic.
An Omaha senior citizen with health concerns is still worried about flying. But not taking that chance could cost her airfare.
Visiting her 75-year-old sister has been on Peggy Bourg’s bucket list since booking a flight 10 months ago.
“It’s just the two of us left and we’re pushing that age group where we might not be able to travel too much longer,” Peggy said.
But fear of pushing her chances with COVID-19 caused Peggy to cancel Southwest flights three times.
“With this pandemic and everything I think they should be very understanding about it, especially with my age,” she said.
Daughter Janeen Bourg who made the flight arrangments says her mom must fly by mid-January — a year from the original booking.
“People who are older and have health issues or are high risk, I guess I feel like they should have had a little leeway and when I said you do realize there’s a pandemic going on she said we’ll that’s our policy,” Janeen said.
Peggy paid about $300 for a roundtrip flight to Dallas.
Unlike the scheduled flight, scientists can’t give an estimated time of arrival for a COVID-19 vaccine.
So, the 79-year-old is asking Southwest Airlines to give her more time before she has to board that flight or lose her airfare.
“Either be nice and refund my money or let me go into 2021. With this virus going on who wants to take a chance on getting it at our age,” Peggy said.
The Bourgs say they can pay a $100 change fee to move back a flight and though on a fixed income, 79-year-old Peggy will spend extra to book peace of mind.
As of Tuesday night, Southwest Airlines said the customer has an extra six months to use her ticket next year and the $100 change fee will be waived.
The airline says this is an unusual situation because the flight had been booked two months before the pandemic hit and flexible policies took effect.
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