American Airlines waives man's $200 change price after smart letter

Back in March, a remarkable illness forced Alex Hamberger of Buffalo, New York, to cancel a moody to see his 9-month-old niece in Kansas City. He had to rebook, and we all know what that means: a $200 change fee. Hamberger wrote a minute to American Airlines’ patron use dialect to ask a airline dump a change fee.

American Airlines waives man’s $200 change price after witty letter

Back in March, a remarkable illness forced Alex Hamberger of Buffalo, New York, to cancel a moody to see his 9-month-old niece in Kansas City. He had to rebook, and we all know what that means: a $200 change fee. Hamberger wrote a minute to American Airlines' patron use dialect to ask a airline dump a change fee.

(CNN) — The subsequent time an airline hits we with a fee, we can possibly go on a epic diatribe about “Big” Business and their “evil” ways.

Or we can do what Alex Hamberger did.

He took a sugar over a vinegar proceed and demeanour where it got him.

Back in March, a remarkable illness forced Hamberger of Buffalo, New York, to cancel a moody to see his 9-month-old niece in Kansas City.

He had to rebook, and we all know what that means: a $200 change fee. Ouch.

So Hamberger reached out to American Airlines’ patron use dialect to ask a airline dump a change fee.

He did it in a form of a letter. An tangible snail-mailed letter. And what a minute it was!

He used all of his substantial wit and attract to ask a airline dump a change fee.

Laying it on thick

“Dear Most Kind and Benevolent American Airlines Customer Service Staff Member,

I write to we with a hopes that we competence take forgiveness on me and means a small magnetism for this flyer who was taken utterly ill and had to postpone his outing to see his dear niece.”

He told them all about his deferred trip, his changed niece and how he hoped they’d cut him some slack.

He sealed his opus:

“With gratitude,

Alex Hamberger

Frequent Flyer

Brother

Uncle

Formerly ill person

Currently healthy person

Grateful flyer”

Mailing it in

“I felt an email would usually get mislaid in a shuffle,” he told CNN.

For combined effect, he trustworthy a few photos of him and his cute-as-a-button niece. Hey, can’t hurt.

“I hoped that if they saw that someone had taken a time to write it with their possess hand, they competence review it. That it competence make a difference,” Hamberger said.

At a unequivocally slightest “it competence lighten someone’s day,” he said.

It worked. American Airlines dump a charge.

“I’m blissful we are “formerly sick” and “currently healthy” to make skeleton to see your changed niece. She certain is a propitious small lady to have such a amatory Uncle Al!,” an airline patron family repute wrote back.

Hamberger takes his rebooked moody to see his niece Thursday.

He says he’s usually ever attempted something like this once before, with a cereal company.

“I reached out to [them] to tell them that we unequivocally favourite a new packaging” on one of a new cereals, he said. He didn’t hear back.

So, let this be a lesson.

Polite can assistance we trump policy.

An darling niece can help.

And that’s what he wrote

Here’s a minute in full:

American Airlines Customer Relations

4000 E. Sky Harbor Boulevard

Phoenix, AZ 85034

Dear Most Kind and Benevolent American Airlines Customer Service Staff Member,

I write to we with a hopes that we competence take forgiveness on me and means a small magnetism for this flyer who was taken utterly ill and had to postpone his outing to see his dear niece.

Picture it. No, not Sicily 1922 (But we conclude we are a Golden Girls fan, many like myself! And in box we didn’t get that reference, no worries; review on!), yet Feb 29, 2016. It was a Monday night and we was removing so vehement for my arriving outing to revisit my sister, brother-in-law, and niece who was about to spin 6 months aged that Thursday! we started to feel a small sinus vigour that night, zero vital yet adequate to give me pause. As we woke adult that subsequent day on Tuesday, Mar 1st, we felt OK, yet things fast went downhill. It was a cold, we thought; zero major.

By Wednesday, Mar 2nd, things were escalating. My cold symptoms had intensified. we consulted with a practical doctor-on-call regulating my mechanism (very fancy!), and she endorsed we conduct right in and see an tangible physician. “Uh oh,” we thought. “That’s not a good sign.”

I visited a alloy that dusk and he was amply endangered with my symptoms that he suggested we cancel my designed outing to Kansas City a following day. “WHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYY,” we wondered silently to myself. It seemed like a small cold, yet alas, he resolved transport was irrational and released me a enclosed note. Always a order follower, we abided by his advice.

And BOY am we blissful we did! You’ll see a doctor’s note references an spreading disease. It was usually dual days after on Mar 4th, that we schooled this spreading illness was not a domicile cold or flu: it was a Haemophilus Influenzae bacterial infection. Yes, a same infection that can means conditions such as epiglottitis (a deadly respiratory disease), pneumonia, and notably, meningitis in children underneath 5. Remember when we mentioned we was going to revisit my 6 month aged niece?! Thank heavens we didn’t!

Suffice to say, after 2 prolonged weeks of illness, that stirred a grave medical leave from work, we didn’t humour any of a serious complications (though we did have a sinus infection, ear infection including a ruptured eardrum, pinkish eye, throat infection, full-body rash, among others). But many of all, canceling my outing to revisit my tot niece was a best thing that could have happened; had we visited her and she gotten sick, it literally could have killed her.

All that said, I’m anticipating we competence be able, or during slightest willing, to take empathize on me and this sad story (as mild as it is), and abandon a $200 change price routinely imposed on tickets such as this. we know, we know, we purchased a nonrefundable sheet and that we took a risk that my we competence face this price if my outing were canceled. But I’m anticipating we can see that this outing was canceled for unequivocally poignant reasons, and that in further to a pain and pang we endured as a outcome of my illness, we was even some-more so dissapoint that we couldn’t see my family members whom we hadn’t visited given November! A niece needs her uncle (that’s a saying, right?)!

Now, we don’t know if this will be cryptic or not, yet we usually recently rebooked my outing and I’ve already paid a $200 change fee. So we now comprehend there competence be 356 reasons we can’t reinstate this to me, yet we figure it’s always value a shot! If it’s probable in any approach to replenish this $200 I’d be perpetually grateful.

I know we contingency bargain with irritable and ornery travelers all a time, and we assure we we am not one of those. If I’m not means to replenish this cost, I’m many understanding. we appreciate we for all we do to make a transport dreams of flyers such as myself a reality.

And in box this minute was too prolonged or unclear, I’ve also enclosed a photo-story of a whole ideal attached.

Thank we again for your kind consideration. we demeanour brazen to conference from we and also to my subsequent flight!

With gratitude,