A Florida woman has taken legal action against Frontier Airlines, filing a class-action lawsuit in federal court that seeks a staggering $100 million in damages. Amira Hamad’s lawsuit alleges that the airline engaged in deceptive practices and “bait-and-switch” tactics with its baggage requirements and fees.

Reason For Lawsuit

Hamad’s grievance centers around the airline’s portrayal of itself as a budget airline. In her complaint, she contends that Frontier Airlines is not truly a budget carrier. She asserts that the airline does not consistently offer the lowest fares. Instead, she claims that the airline employs a tactic of breaking down fees into smaller components. This makes it difficult for passengers to recognize the true cost of their airfare, which she believes ends up being higher than expected.

The core issue Frontier Airlines’ handling of “personal items,” which are supposed to be included in the airfare. According to the court documents, Hamad asserts that she fell victim to the airline’s “bait-and-switch” approach when booking a round-trip flight in May 2023.

Hamad argues that she was charged $100 for her bag, which she believed qualified as a personal item. However, Frontier Airlines’ website specifies certain size limitations for personal items. The lawsuit includes photographic evidence of her bag inside the airline’s bag sizer, showing that it did not meet the requirements.

Bag Sizer Discrepancy

Comparing her experience with Spirit Airlines, Hamad claims that her personal item fit within their size basket. The two airlines supposedly adheres to the same dimensions. This inconsistency raises concerns about the accuracy of Frontier Airlines’ bag sizer, and its undisclosed “additional charge” for oversized personal items.

The lawsuit further alleges that Frontier Airlines incentivizes its gatekeepers by providing bonuses for each instance of charging for personal items at the gates. This implies a possible incentive for the airline’s personnel to apply these charges unfairly.

Misleading Practices

Among the litany of accusations, Hamad asserts that Frontier Airlines engaged in deceptive or misleading practices, breached its contract with passengers, and engaged in fraudulent misrepresentation and misleading advertising. The lawsuit also claims violations of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and Consumer Protections Act.

With this class-action lawsuit, Hamad seeks not only punitive damages of $100 million, but also $10,000 for each alleged violation. She also is seeking a refund of her fees and travel expenses. The legal action against Frontier Airlines could have significant implications for the airline industry. It could shine a spotlight on the transparency of baggage fees and the veracity of budget airline claims.

Source: Yahoo!life

 

• A woman said she wasn’t allowed to board a Frontier Airlines flight even though she arrived on time.
• Frontier offered to rebook her on another flight leaving two days later — and with a 12-hour layover, she said.
• Though she’s made it to her destination (San Francisco) successfully, she told Insider she has not gotten her money back.

20-year-old Marley Stevens has put out a viral PSA on TikTok not to fly with Frontier Airlines after she claimed the airline wouldn’t let her on her flight over the weekend — and proceeded to reschedule her for a flight leaving two days later. She told Insider she flew to her destination on a different airline, but she’s still awaiting her refund for the gaffe.

A spokesperson for Frontier Airlines told Insider that they will honor a refund, however, their records indicated that Stevens “failed to appear for boarding within the required timeframe” — a claim that Stevens vehemently disputes.

“If you have a choice between walking somewhere or flying Frontier…walk,” she said in her fiery video from Monday.

How Stevens found herself stranded at the Atlanta airport

Stevens’ TikTok about the incident has been viewed over 1.3 million times. On Saturday, she was scheduled to leave out of Atlanta’s airport, heading to San Francisco at 8:15 p.m., she explained to viewers.

When she began filming, it was 9:30 p.m., and she still had not boarded the flight.

The TikToker said she received an email from Frontier that day saying the flight was filling up, asking her if she could switch to a different flight. She needed to get to her destination because her family was vacationing there, so she did not respond to the offer.

“I get to my gate an hour and a half early as I always do, ’cause I’m a paranoid gal,” she said.

When her group was called to board and she approached the front desk, she claimed the agent who scanned her ticket told her, “Oh, you’re not on this flight.” Stevens insisted that she was properly scheduled for that flight and showed her boarding pass to her.

“She goes, ‘Oh, well, I guess we just don’t have room for you,'” Stevens recounted. “I was like, what?”

The agent apparently told Stevens that she’d have to be put on the next Frontier flight to San Francisco because her seat on this flight was taken. The only issue was that the next flight was not scheduled to leave until Monday, July 24 — two days later — and it would depart at 6:05 a.m. and with a 12-hour Denver layover. This meant she wouldn’t arrive in San Francisco until midnight.

Stevens told Insider that her immediate reaction was panic.

In a follow-up video, Stevens said she had needed to get to San Francisco on time for multiple reasons: her parents were already there a full day, they had tickets for touristy events and shows, and because her check-in luggage was already on its way.

Stevens said she ultimately decided to buy a new flight with American Airlines because it was leaving the next morning. “I got up at the buttcrack of dawn the next morning and flew with American, no problems, surprise surprise,” she said.

Frontier said it will offer a full refund, but Stevens is still waiting to receive it

The airline has offered Stevens a refund, but also a counter-narrative to why her initial seat was taken.

“”Our records indicate the customer failed to appear for boarding within the required timeframe. The customer was provided options to rebook on the next available Frontier flight,” a spokesperson said in an email statement. “As a customer service gesture, we have initiated a refund to the card used at the time of purchase. The customer should see the refund reflected within three to five business days.”

Stevens told Insider that it’s been five days since the incident and she still has not received a refund. She said her Frontier ticket cost her $500, including a bag check-in fee, and Ubering to and from the airport since she had to return the next morning to board her new flight.

Stevens refuted the company’s claim that it was her error, and stressed that she arrived at the gate “very early.”

Stevens also added that she had a lot of trouble trying to reach a human customer service representative to try to resolve this issue herself.

“I’m intrigued that they have a spokesperson for the situation but they are impossible to get in touch with,” she said.

@m.stevens03 Replying to @🥬 Update on the Frontier saga!!! I’ll keep keeping yall updated! Im talking to a news outlet tonight! #frontier#frontierairlines #frontiersucks #scam ♬ original sound – Marley Stevens

On Wednesday, in another follow-up video about the saga, Stevens said she received an unexpected call from someone who said they worked at Frontier’s headquarters in Colorado. The woman apparently apologized profusely and said she had seen Stevens’ TikTok, and that she would open an investigation to find out how the incident occurred.

Viewers have been overwhelmingly sympathetic and supportive, offering tips on how to get her money back and sharing their own stressful travel tales. Some users said they’ve chosen to drive instead of flying to avoid these airline blunders.

Stevens said she’s been “very grateful” for all the attention, “especially because so many people have been so kind.” And despite all the travel woes, Stevens said her vacation in San Francisco has been “awesome” so far.

Frontier did not immediately respond to follow-up inquiries.

Source: INSIDER