Help! Iberia suspended my $4,005 ticket credit

After Iberia Airlines suspends Thomas Kush's $4,005 ticket credit because of security issues, the airline promised to restore his voucher. But it doesn't. How do you get the airline to do what it promised?

I canceled a recent flight on Iberia Airlines, and the airline offered me a $4,005 ticket credit, valid until November 4.

But when I tried to book a new flight, Iberia rejected the ticket voucher code. After several calls with their customer service, I received an email saying the voucher was suspended "due to security issues."

Iberia instructed me to file a complaint on the website, which I did. I received an email saying I'd hear back in seven days, which did not happen.

I've made over 11 calls to Iberia since then. Representatives have repeatedly promised me a replacement voucher, but they have never sent me one. Meanwhile, I paid $3,952 for a new ticket.

I want Iberia to pay me the full value of the voucher or reimburse me for the new flight and issue a voucher for the balance.

Thomas Kush, Boston

Iberia wasn't wrong to suspend your ticket credit, but it should have quickly restored it.

Why do I support the airline's decision to freeze your credit? Because there are a lot of shenanigans that happen with ticket vouchers, gift cards and loyalty programs, and airlines are correct to be cautious. But when they penalize the wrong guy -- as they did with you -- they need to do a quick about-face and apologize. And that didn't happen.

What did happen was months and months of waiting, even though Iberia had assured you it would restore your credit. The promises ranged from “in a few hours,” “next week,” and “in a few days.”

Making matters worse, you had canceled your flights for medical treatment. Some airlines will allow a full refund when you can show a doctor's note, so Iberia should really have refunded your tickets, which were in business class.

By the way, you should never accept an airline ticket voucher unless there is no alternative As you discovered, ticket credits can expire or be revoked, which means the airline gets to keep your money without giving you anything. It's a great deal for an airline like Iberia, but not for you.

I think a brief, polite appeal to a manager at Iberia might have fixed this problem for you. I publish the names, numbers and email addresses of the Iberia customer service executives on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.

I contacted Iberia on your behalf. True to form, the airline initially ignored my advocacy team's inquiries. But after we asked repeatedly, it finally issued a voucher that is good for 14 months. Just to be safe, you tested the code on Iberia's site, and it works.

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at [email protected] or get help by contacting him on his site.

© 2024 Christopher Elliott