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Frontier flier bolts over travel insurance

Airline adds $10.95 fee unless people opt out

By Chris Walsh, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 1, 2008 at 9:05 p.m.

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People line up at Frontier Airline's curbside check-in at Denver International Airport in November 2006. The airline says its travel insurance is a value for customers.

Photo by Darin Mcgregor / The Rocky/2006

People line up at Frontier Airline's curbside check-in at Denver International Airport in November 2006. The airline says its travel insurance is a value for customers.

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Bill Wimsatt has long had an affinity for Frontier Airlines, choosing the carrier for most of his business trips because of its service, on-time performance and the fact that it's a Colorado-based company.

But the Littleton resident now avoids flying the hometown airline, and it has nothing to do with the company's precarious future as it fights through bankruptcy.

Wimsatt, who estimates he has flown upward of 200,000 miles over the past year, is irate over the carrier's new strategy of selling travel insurance. Frontier recently started adding the insurance - which costs $10.95 - to all the tickets it sells, making customers who don't want it opt out before the final purchase.

Wimsatt said he's overlooked it several times while buying tickets and then had to go through an arduous process to get a refund.

"When you fly a lot you get into a rhythm when booking tickets, so I didn't even know I was being charged until my wife noticed it on our credit-card statements," Wimsatt said. "It doesn't even show up on your receipt. It tripped me up again last week. I've had enough. I am so angry with them."

The insurance, offered by AIG, covers travelers in the event of illness, emergencies, worker strikes and other incidents.

Frontier concedes that it received some complaints after switching to the new method of selling the insurance, with customers saying it wasn't clear enough that they were being charged extra. So Frontier made it more prominent in an effort to ensure customers know they have the option to decline the insurance before booking.

The complaint levels dropped "significantly," said company spokesman Steve Snyder.

"We tried to make it very obvious that the box is checked and that if you don't want the insurance you need to uncheck it," Snyder said. "It would be one thing if we had it in fine print somewhere. But if you look at the Web site and the way it's presented, I don't think it's sneaky at all. It's very transparent."

Experts differ on whether it's a good business move to automatically charge customers for an additional product. Some say it's acceptable as long as it's clear, while others argue that it's a disingenuous way to generate more revenue.

Snyder said the company is simply trying to help customers, particularly as Frontier raises the fees it charges customers to change flights. The insurance can help passengers avoid those fees if something unexpected disrupts their travel plans, although the policy doesn't let them change flights for just any reason.

"We believe it's a value to our customers," Snyder said. "We think it's in their best interests to buy it."

walshc@RockyMountainNews.comor 303-954-2744

Comments

  • August 2, 2008

    1 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    laker writes:

    This is an example of what Frontier management is doing to this once high-value airline. Nickel and diming is so uncool. Problem is, everyone else is worse...except for one of their main competitors...the ones with the ugly planes on the far end. Mr. Menke, listen to your customers and stop the Air Canadaesque nickel and diming! It is going to be your achillies heal in the end.

  • August 4, 2008

    9:35 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    MtnEcologist writes:

    It's not that bad.."arduous process".. I got caught once, but then I just e-mailed AIG (at policies@travelguard.com, or frontier@travelguard.com) and canceled it and they mailed me a confirmation of the canceled insurance.

    I won't forget to uncheck the box next time, as I too was speeding through the ticketing process.

    Don't forgot to support the hometown airline and uncheck that box! It's better than that "other" (AKA-SW) airline that skims inspections.

  • August 9, 2008

    8:50 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    F9flygirl writes:

    Another example of someone who doesn't read what he's buying. I can't tell you how many people come to the airport and didn't read the contract of carriage, the weight limits, the bag limits, the DATES of flying, I could go on and on. Stop whining... Now all of Denver knows how well you book flights.

  • November 10, 2008

    9:18 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    davette59 writes:

    I purchased a ticket on Frontier yesterday. Today I get an email thanking me for purchasing flight insurance. I did not intend on buying insurance nor did I wish to. I contacted Travelguard to tell them it was a mistake and I did not purchase insurance. They told me that unless I opted out of the insurance purchase it was bought. I don't even remember being given the option. They told me I needed to contact Frontier for a refund. When I called frotier, and waited on hold for 12 minutes, they said I needed to call Travelguard. This is an underhanded way to gain more revenue. I have been told that this is AIG insurance, the company that us taxpayers are bailing out! Is this not biting the hand that feeds you? I will NEVER fly Frontier again and will tell as many of my business associates of my experience and warn them of Frontiers sleezy tactics. I have flown for over 20 years and have never had insurance forced on me in this manner. Generally you are given the option to add insurance if you wish and it is your choice to opt in to the purchase. I'm not so sure that the FAA or US government shouldn't be looking into this tactic. It does no good to contact customer care because they DO NOT CARE! It's no wonder these airlines are dropping like flies. Business travelers are too smart to be hoodwinked by these dishonest airlines. Delta has already ruined their image and lost my 140 plus flights a year.