Neil was forced to cancel his flight with Qantas after he was diagnosed with cancer. He asked the airline for a refund – and their response has left him fuming
A cancer patient has lashed out at Qantas for twice refusing to refund him more than $1,000 after he was unable to fly following his shock diagnosis.
Ex-pilot Neil Ross, 62, was forced to cancel his holiday to Cairns, Far North Queensland, after he was diagnosed with cancer two weeks after booking the flight.
The bus driver from Brisbane had initially booked a flight ticket through Flight Center several years ago to travel to Tasmania to attend the memorial service of his flight instructor.
After the Covid pandemic hit, his flight was canceled and he received a $1,100 credit that expired on April 22 this year.
Mr Ross then used those credits to book a flight to Cairns for himself and his wife.
Neil Ross, 62, was twice denied a refund by Qantas after being unable to fly due to a shock cancer diagnosis that saw him undergo surgery and weeks of chemotherapy
He was forced to cancel due to a cancer diagnosis and presented the airline with two medical certificates explaining why he could not fly as he requested a refund.
However, Qantas ruled that his request ‘did not meet the compassion requirements’.
This is despite Mr Ross undergoing a 13-hour operation to remove a tumor on the right side of his face and requiring six weeks of almost daily chemotherapy.
“Like I said to the girl at Flight Center, look at my face, do you think I want to get a refund for that? I’d rather be healthy and go on vacation,” he said. news.com.au.
‘The medical certificate stated that I cannot fly for medical reasons; this was subsequently rejected by Qantas.”
Mr Ross submitted two medical certificates, the first on March 20 and a more detailed report from the Princess Alexandra Hospital on April 9.
Both were dismissed because they did not meet compassionate grounds guidelines.
Mr Ross said his fight for reimbursement is about standing up for the “smaller people” who don’t have the resources to take on the airline.
Mr Ross said his fight for reimbursement is about standing up for the ‘smaller people’ who don’t have the resources to take on the airline (Photo: People board a Qantas plane in Sydney)
The bus driver has yet to be declared cancer-free and continues to attend rehabilitation and ENT appointments due to complications surrounding his ear canal.
He must undergo plastic surgery to reconstruct the right side of his face.
It is understood that after being contacted by the publication, Qantas issued Mr Ross a full refund.
“We apologize to Mr. Ross for this experience and have informed him that we are processing a refund for him,” a spokesperson said.
Clearly an error was made in processing the additional material by not attaching it to a previous application.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Qantas for comment.