Emily Sortor  |  June 23, 2020

Category: Covid-19

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Frontier Airlines allegedly failed to refund consumers for cancelled flights.

A Frontier passenger has filed a class action lawsuit against the airline, saying she and other passengers should be provided with refunds for trips canceled due to the coronavirus. 

Shirley Johnson says that after her spring Florida trip was canceled because of the coronavirus crisis, she wanted a refund for her plane ticket purchase.

However, she claims that Frontier Airlines only offered her a flight credit that expired in just 90 days. Now, Shirley is asking for refunds not only for herself, but on behalf of a proposed Class of consumers who were also denied refunds after coronavirus cancellations.

Johnson is a New Jersey resident, who says that on Feb. 27, 2020, she had booked a round-trip flight from Philadelphia to Orlando, Florida. Allegedly, she made her purchase from Frontier Airlines and paid $797.83 for her ticket. According to Johnson, she was set to depart from Philadelphia on April 18, 2020 and return on April 25, 2020.

The Frontier Airlines refund class action lawsuit explains that on April 8, 2020, Johnson was notified by Frontier that her flights had been canceled. In the notification email, the company also offered Johnson a travel credit that would expire in 90 days, by way of compensation for the canceled flight, says Johnson.

In light of receiving that email, Johnson recounts that she asked the company that she be refunded for the cost of her trip, not credited for future trips. She says that this effort was unsuccessful and she did not receive a refund.

Allegedly, the only response she received was an email from the CEO of the airline, sent on May 6, 2020, that outlined how Frontier Airlines was responding to the COVID-19 crisis.

Flights, including those on Frontier Airlines, have been disrupted due to the coronavirus.

The Frontier Airlines COVID-19 cancellation class action lawsuit argues that the airline has made a practice of denying refunds to many passengers, in an attempt to pass off the costs of the coronavirus onto its consumers.

Johnson underscores that this treatment of passengers comes despite the federal government’s assistance of the airline industry — in the form of a $25 billion stimulus package to help the industry weather the storm of the coronavirus crisis.

Numerous consumers have complained about the airline’s failure to refund, making the company well aware of passengers’ views on this response, says Johnson.

Additionally, news sources have taken note of Frontier’s coronavirus response — Johnson states that the travel website One Mile at a Time calls Frontier Airlines’ rebooking policy “by far the worst” among its peers. The site says that “giving customers just 90 days to rebook is rather ridiculous when you consider the amount of uncertainty at the moment.” 

Johnson argues that the vouchers are virtually worthless and “simply unworkable” because the pandemic has prevented most people from making concrete travel plans well into the future.

According to the plaintiff, the outbreak has also prevented passengers from making plans to travel just 90 days out from their initial trip.

Johnson asserts that Frontier’s failure to offer refunds violates both the company’s contract of carriage and federal law.

The company is reportedly aware or should be aware of its obligations to the law and to its passengers, but is prioritizing profits at the expense of its consumers. The airline’s contract of carriage requires the airline to provide a prompt refund to consumers if the airline cancels a flight, which, Johnson notes, is the case in the coronavirus cancellations.

She also notes that the Department of Transportation itself also requires airlines to offer refunds. Reportedly, on March 31, 2020, a group of Senators including Edward J. Markey, Richard Blumenthal, Elizabeth Warren, and Sheldon Whitehouse sent a note to Frontier Airlines CEO Barry L. Biffle, reminding him of the company’s obligations to “issue full refunds to all customers” whose flights are canceled during the coronavirus crisis.

Like Johnson, the Senators reportedly pointed to the financial strain that the coronavirus has put on many Americans, and stated that refusing a refund for a flight cancellation beyond the consumer’s control is yet another hardship that the public should not have to endure. 

Have you had a flight canceled due to the coronavirus? Share your experiences in the comments below.

Johnson is represented by Shanon J. Carson, and John G. Albanese of Berger Montague, and by Adam E. Polk and Jordan Elias of Girard Sharp LLC.

The Frontier Airlines COVID-19 Flight Cancellation Refund Class Action Lawsuit is Shirley Johnson v. Frontier Airlines, Case No. 1:20-cv-01751, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. 

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121 thoughts onFrontier Airlines Class Action Seeks COVID-19 Refund

  1. Laura May Harvey says:

    Same here I got our tickets and then COVID and I told them I wanted to have the money put back into my bank. I was told no and they issued a credit. I rebooked about 6 months later and 3 days before I was to leave I seen a post from someone that their flight was cancellled and I checked and Yes mine was too. If I hadn’t seen the other persons flight my family would have been stuck at the airport with no where to go. I called them and they said I would have to rebook again but I only had 3 months. My family couldn’t get off work to book another trip. I also lost almost $200 for our hotel..

  2. Angela Gerard says:

    Frontier gave us a credit and advised us we had one year to use it (this was back when they actually had a customer service phone number- now you can’t call them as they only offer online chats). Then, they sent an email confirming the credit amount (no expiration date was listed on the email). 6 months later we tried to use the credit and they said they changed their policy to allow credits for only 90 days instead of the 1 year which meant ours had expired. I filed a complaint with the department of transportation…and frontier responded saying they are standing behind their decision. This company is beyond unscrupulous.

    1. Precious Shepherd says:

      They did the same thing to me but with 2 tickets. I purchased 3 tickets, 2 were for family members, and my family members contracted COVID and couldn’t fly. Frontier Airlines would not refund my money but said I might have a chance if my family members went to the hospital and then send the medical report to them via email. They would then have to decide whether they could refund but it could take a while and it’s not guaranteed. They are horrible and I don’t understand how they are allowed to still be in business

    2. Precious Shepherd says:

      You won’t believe what they did to me. This is the absolute worst airline ever. We had an emergency landing due to Maintenance Negligence and many of us got carbon monoxide poisoning. They gave us a 200 dollar voucher but after that experience, who was thinking about flying. After 7 months, I decided to try and use the voucher and was told NO, it was only good for 6 months. In addition, they hid somehow from the attorneys. I found that odd so I reached out myself and was hung up on several times. I was finally able to reach someone by email and was told that I was already compensated with the 200 voucher and basically it was my fault that I didn’t use it within 6 months. I explained that I was in the ER and sick due to the carbon monoxide poisoning and they said “Unfortunately, there is nothing more we will do for you” They could’ve killed us and NOBODY at Frontier Airlines cares. This happened December 2021 and we have been fighting them up until a few days ago. I will upload the emails on the next review. Horrible Company

  3. Barbara Boyle says:

    I joined the class action suit against Frontier when it was shown on Top Class Action site. To date there has been nothing posted up dates or settlements. The law seemed very clear if flights were cancel due to Covid people were entitled to a refund. I’m out over $500 for @,flight to Tampa.. Canceled end of April 2019 flight was for May 2019. Why does this have to be such a hassle to get a refund when they canceled and the government said they have to refund the money.

  4. Michelle Jaques says:

    Yes the same thing happened to me and I got an email to my refund request from Frontier airlines that stated… Although we are unable to give you a refund, we will issue a travel credit instead. Your credit must be applied towards booking a new reservation within 90 days…”

  5. Florentino says:

    Somos un grupo fam,5 personas, rumbo ord a puerto rico, a la 1:29am, y 20 minutos antes de abordar simple mente canselaron sin ninguna esplicasion,. sin importar el gasto adicional que tengamos ?

  6. Kimberly Bierstedt says:

    Same exact experience as everyone listed above. It’s May 2021 I have tried every option to rebook a trip with them to even other destinations and their prices have quadrupled and their 9 to 13 hour flights with no return dates. Your on hold for hours and then they drop the call when you tell them your concerns about not taking care of their customers.

  7. Barbara Deckert says:

    trip planned from Denver to San Diego for my bday July 2020. California was shutting down due to the pandemic spike. my boyfriend is high risk and so we had to cancel and was not comfortable with rescheduling at that time. A voucher at a much lesser amount was given with a 90 days expiration date. We tried using it before the 90 days expiration date but were unable to book anything online and couldn’t get anyone on the phone to help us. Is there any hope? Really need to travel soon as my Mother is ill and has 911 situation and can’t afford to give frontier(as they are still cheapest) but any airlines more money as I have been dealing with pandemic unemployment like so many. would love any suggestions.
    Thank you

  8. Barbara Boyle says:

    I scheduled a flight to Tampa paid for tickets seats and luggage scheduled for May 12, 2020. Around end of April 2020 it was canceled. Federal law said a refund would come. Year later nothing!
    I am pretty sure I signed up when the suit was put on TopClass Actions but just wanted to make sure because nothing has been said about what the progress of the suit is.

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