ComplaintsforCape Air

• Initial Complaint

  06/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  Cape air Flight 7921 9:05 PM Ack to Hya on Thurs June 20 2024 was cancelled due to weather . The airline knew the flight was to be cancelled prior to its departure time of 9:05 PM but failed to verbally inform the affected passengers in the terminal UNTIL AFTER 9:05 PM. By not informing us of the impending cancellation prior to 9:05 PM we were unable to get off the island of Nantucket by ferry because the last ferry departed at 9:20 PM. Because Cape Air's disregard for their customers wellbeing all passengers had to find hotel accommodations WITHOUT HELP FROM CAPE AIR. All affected customers were forced to pay over $700 each for overnight accommodations on this pricey vacation island. We were rebooked on a June 21 flight.In summary , Cape Air knew the flight was to be cancelled prior to its departure time. By not informing us timely, all passengers were prevented from leaving the island on the last ferry that night . All passengers incurred needless anxiety, inconvenience and significant costs. This ,in my opinion, shows egregious disregard for the customer.

  Customer response

  07/11/2024

  I have not heard from the business in response to my complaint -in a compromise over the claim for damages. . They do not agree that they had a duty to inform passengers of impending cancellation till after the departure time. They refuse to apologize or compensate for costs involved in their failure to notify 3 passengers of impending cancellation in a timely manner to prevent damages to the passengers . 

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  05/16/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  cape air regularly cancels flights on customers with little to no notice. they are rarely, if ever, on time. time and time again i have been left in ****** or forced to uber to ******** to a ferry and incur costs for doing so - always with little to NO warning ahead of time. last year we had an incident in which our care giver was flying to her sons wedding. cape air kept this lady and other passengers at the airport for 3 hours - never giving any information on flights - finally boarding then deplaining and telling people they would pay for a ferry ticket. she then had to ferry, take an uber, pay to change her flight taht she Missed AND had to PAY for a hotel room. while this was happeing i called cape air and they told me VERBALLY that cape air would pay for hotel, uber and ferry. afterwards they have neglected to do so, only offering to pay something like 1/3 of it. i have sent all receipts to cape air. the worst part was that i contacted cape for months with ZERO response - i mean ZERO. i sent several emails to their "care team" which is the only way they allow communication for refunds. it took ****** for them to get back to me that they would not honor their verbal contract with me to pay for this - again this was 100% their mistake - airplace/airline issue. i want a full refund and apology and call from someone senior at cape air. i fly cape air as much as anyone, several times per month and have been a customer for decades. they offered ONL ****** and we incured 666.23$ in expenses. i also think we deserve more compensation due to their lying, lack of response and all the time i am takign to fight this

• Initial Complaint

  11/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  Dealing with CapeAir is a complete joke. They are like robots and they intentionally will email you back from an email that will bounce back and email on website bounces back. The representatives are not helpful. Claim form was sent for luggage damage and them breaking my laptop and ipad, after me telling the guy at *************** taking my bag to please be careful, he did not listen. I was not allowed to bring it on the plane.I flew into SJU with a connecting flight immediately after, but I called as soon as I could regarding this.They MUST reimburse me for my luggage, laptop, and ipad they damaged AND refund BOTH airfare to my credit card. They have strung me along for nearly 2 months!!! scam artists

  Customer response

  12/01/2023

  I have not heard from the business in response to my complaint.

• Initial Complaint

  08/21/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We purchased a commuter book September 12, 2014 consisting of 10 one-way tickets between BOS and ACK. We have used one ticket; nine remain. We are asking for a refund of $1467 which is the value of the tickets. Cape Air is saying the tickets expire after one year. They told me it is written on the back of the book - this is not true.We are now elderly people and take the fast ferry over to our house on ACK. We no longer are able to fly and therefore would like our monies back ($1,467) for the unused tickets. They have already been paid for and have never been used.Cape Air is unwilling to work with us and keep insisting they have expired. However, there is nothing written on the tickets or on the back of the book. See pictures.Thank you!

  Customer response

  09/01/2023

  I have not heard from the business in response to my complaint.

  

  Business response

  09/14/2023

  Dear Ms. Katsapetses,

  We understand that you have 9 unused flight vouchers from 2014, and appreciate your providing pictures of your commuter book product. Unfortunately, it appears that the front of your book is missing it's issuance front cover.  I have provided a copy of the Commuter Booklet Front & Reverse covers for reference. Your book would have indicated an expiration date (Exp. Date) in the lower right-hand corner of the front cover, this would have been one year from the date the booklet was purchased.

  Commuter book products were offered as a way of providing discounted fares for passengers flying all 10 vouchers within a year, unfortunately residual vouchers remaining after that time lost any associated value.  We apologize that we are unable to assist you with a refund/reimbursement for this book.

  ***************************

  Director of Contact Centers

  Cape Air

• Initial Complaint

  08/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I booked a $119 cape air flight scheduled for 8/12. Due to changing logistics during a family emergency (death of an uncle), I had to cancel the flight, and received a future travel credit (even though the cancellation was within 24 hours of purchase, since it was within 7 days of departure). When I went to eventually book a substitute flight to use that credit, I couldnt find a field to use the flight credit anywhere in the checkout flow. I pressed continue after the credit card input box (with no indication this was the final page in the checkout flow), expecting to see a normal summary page with a checkout or purchase button before confirmation. Where else would the flight credit field be, as all normal airlines allow you to select existing flight credits in the normal checkout flow (and the instructions in the flight credit email from Cape Air also make it seem like you can use the credit in the normal online booking process)? Turns out theres no way to select an existing flight credit in the normal checkout flow. You have to remember that you have an unused flight credit, input your last name and cancelled booking number to the Change / Cancel reservation webpage (even though you are not trying to change/cancel a reservation - it was already cancelled!), and then select modify reservation on the already cancelled reservation! Oh and if you dont do this within a year, the credit is voided. This highly unintuitive process makes it very difficult for someone not already familiar with the system to use a flight credit, and I assume many people with flight credits never end up using them (leaving the business with free money in exchange for no services!). Cape Air making it very difficult/unintuitive to use purchased flight credits, as well as confirming/charging online purchases without any official confirmation or prompt from the user, constitute highly deceptive business practices in my opinion.

• Initial Complaint

  07/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Tuesday, July 18, we were scheduled to fly from ****** l to *******, **. We had flown out of there, three weeks earlier. The flight was initially scheduled to go around 5:45 PM, but was delayed because of the reported impending weather and then ultimately canceled.Another passenger was scheduled to fly back on July 18 as well, and he and we began looking, with no success and no assistance at all from CapeAir, for options to rent cars to get back to *******. When we tried again to reschedule our flight back to *******, we were told that the soonest that they would be able to fly our family of 4 home would be on July 26. When When we asked what we were supposed to do for food and lodging between the for the next eight days in a very expensive city, the ticket agent just shrugged. We asked about alternate ground transportation and were told that, because there was weather it was no longer the airlines responsibility to get us to our destination. We could either wait until the 26th to go home or find our own way home. The airline representative then indicated a limo company that they use for ground transportation to *******.Deciding that paying for our own, transportation would be less expensive than trying to find a hotel room and food in ****** for the next eight days, we called the limo company and paid over $800 out-of-pocket to get ourselves and one of our fellow passengers home that evening. I have contacted the airline to see about getting reimbursement, and the airline response even conceded that one of their options, even in the event of weather related cancellations, could have been to offer us ground transportation. However, because the cancellation was weather related, they are still stating that we, as the customers should still bear all of the financial cost of getting ourselves home. We are seeking reimbursement for the ground transportation they should have provided given their inability to reschedule a flight in a reasonable time period.

  

  Business response

  08/02/2023

  Dear ****************,

  After our phone conversations, I am following up on this BBB complaint.  As I have previously expressed, I appreciate that you would rather not hear empty platitudes from an airline.  However, speaking as an individual and not the airline, I can assure you that I do sympathize with your situation as it is one that I have found myself in through the course of my own travels.

  I did confirm with our Flight ********************* that it was cancelled due to weather, though not for weather in either ****** or Rutland, but due to severe imbedded convective storms moving through the region and en-route of the flight paths.  Rutland was not our only city impacted, as our ************* and ***** airports also suffered cancellations from the same system.  Our commitment to Customer ********************** is superseded only by our commitment to safety, we endeavor to complete each flight put out for sale and only when every option has been exhausted or we encounter situations that threaten the safe operation of flights will our Flight ********************* make the decision to cancel.
  Part of our commitment to Customer ********************** mean owning our mistakes and making them right for our passengers, which is why for our Controllable Cancellations (situations within the control of the airline), we offer the choice of refund, rebooking with hotel accommodations, or alternative ground/water transportation (when available). These commitments are far-and-above the federal requirements or the commitments of many other airlines. However, for Uncontrollable Cancellations (acts of nature or government beyond our control), we generally only provide a rebooking option where space is available or a refund of the unused ticket value.  US airlines do not generally offer hotel accommodations or alternative transportation for disruptions beyond the carriers control.  I understand that we could not accommodate your family for several days, but due to the size of our aircraft, accommodating displaced groups on short-notice can present a set of challenges.  This is a reason I always encourage my friends and family members to use travel insurance if there is a possibility that they may be disrupted and on their own to complete a journey.

  I do apologize for your familys experience.  However, since the cancellation was precipitated by natural occurrences beyond our control we will be refunding the unused value of your tickets, but the disruption is not eligible for any further reimbursement or coverage.  

  Customer response

  08/02/2023

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  The response from the company is no resolution. It simply leaves the customer holding the bag for weather related cancellations. The company did issue a refund until after the fact, and that refund did not cover the expenses of traveling back to *******. The money that we had to pay to get home wouldve covered the cost of us driving to, and from ******, and even staying in a hotel the night before our connecting flight to and from Europe. The companys advice to have travel insurance is merely adding insult to injury. It is not offered on their website (it was on other providers sites) and if they had made plain that customers could be so vulnerable by taking a risk with their airline , we would never have used them in the first place. Their advertising says that they will get you to your destination. That is not the case. They say that they take care of their customers and have a good time doing it. That is also not the case. My experience with Cape Air is that when there is weather, you are no longer their customer. When I spoke with their customer care individual, he offered another excuse for why they could not pay for ground transportation opened them to liability. The ground transportation is complete. There is no longer any liability. All I am asking is for them to reimburse. If they refuse to do so, there is nothing I can do to make them do the right thing (and I dont know a single   passenger with whom I have spoken who thinks that what they are doing is rights), but I do not except their excuse for a resolution. Refusing to reimburse expenses incurred as a result of their lack of ability to help customers in anyway is not a resolution. It is simply stonewalling the customer.  They are, as the representative has noted, a small airline, which made it impossible for them to schedule us within a reasonable amount of time. There was, however, the option of ground transportation, which they do use in other circumstances. In this one circumstance, when they did not have an option to reschedule in a reasonable amount of time, they could have and should have used that option.

  
  

  As I mentioned to their customer care representative, I have flown for many years and have never had a company so abjectly abandon its customers. I have had flights grounded during the holiday season for weather, and the airline and questions covered a hotel cost until they could go the next day. On another flight we were provided ground transportation to the connecting city. The only response this companies representatives have been able to give, from the moment the flight was canceled to now, is that they will do nothing to help their customers when it is no longer convenient. As I communicated to their customer care representative, this is bad business, both in terms of how they are treating their customer, and in the amount of business that they are costing themselves. Again, this is not a resolution. It is simply more of what I have heard from them.
  

  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ******

   

   

  

  Business response

  09/14/2023

  ****************,

  We are sorry that we are unable to provide any reimbursement beyond the refunded ticket value. Unfortunately, due to the severe weather in the region, it was unsafe to operate, and in line with standard industry practices, we do not cover alternative transportation or hotel costs when the cancellations are the result of uncontrollable phenomena. We also apologize for the lack of available flight options to fly your group to your destination in a timely fashion, but due to the small size of our aircraft, we have limited seating available during close-in re-accommodations and sometimes (particularly for larger groups of travelers) our only option is to provide flights in the following days or offer a refund of the ticket value.

  I again apologize for the experience, but we are unable to reimburse beyond the already processed refund.

  ***************************

  Director of Contact Centers

  Cape Air

  Customer response

  09/18/2023

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  this is the same response as last time. It resolves nothing and simply leaves the consumer in the same place they were before stranded without any meaningful resolution or restitution from CapeAir. Apologies and platitudes are meaningless without any action. Your companys complete apathy that evening cannot be resolved, or made better by hollow words. I dont know a single consumer, to whom I have spoken who thinks that you did the right thing.
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  ******

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  05/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Cape Air frequently leaves passengers stranded. My flight was cancelled hours prior because they had no pilot. I fought my way onto the next flight which was delayed 2.5 hours due to no plane. As a result, I lost a day of income and had to purchase a new ticket from ****** to **. They refuse to reimburse me. They lie. Proven that they lie, they reframe history as a one time courtesy. I learned from other passengers that some Cape Air staff get travelers a taxi or uber when a flight is canceled. I am determined to get reimbursed one way or another for the new flight I had to book to get to my final destination.

  Customer response

  06/04/2023

  I have not been able to communicate with anyone other than the head of the call center.  He defiantly refuses to do anything.  Copies of the first and most recent communication with Cape Air as well as correspondence with the **************************** is attached. 

  

  Business response

  08/02/2023

  Dear ****************,
  
  Cape Air has received a copy of a complaint from the ********** of ************** addressing your cancelled flight from November of 2022, and the corresponding reimbursement request.  We have taken another look at the history of the flight, itinerary, and travel taken - to accurately respond to the complaint filed with the ****  Your flight itinerary, ticketed through Cape Air, originated in ************, ************* with a final destination of ******, ************* on the 21st November 2022.  The originally ticketed flight was cancelled due to crew staffing, and the subsequent replacement flight was delayed due to a mechanical issue with the aircraft.  Under both of these circumstance you are *********** a refund if you had chosen not to travel, ultimately you did fly on the delayed subsequent flight and reached your final ticketed destination of ******, *************.
  
  We understand that you were out-of-pocket in securing an alternate flight from ****** for your separately-ticketed onward journey.  Unfortunately, due to the flights being ticketed on separate itineraries, onward travel protections do not apply to travel on different itineraries beyond the final destination of the disrupted itinerary.  We also understand that in the past you have received reimbursement for similar expenses, resulting from similar situations.  As we expressed in our earlier correspondence to you, those reimbursements were not done out of policy, but as a courtesy by the agent handling the claim at the time.  I would like to take a moment to assure you that this position by Cape Air is not unique, but the standard practice among all air carriers in *****************.
  
  I do apologize that I cannot be of further assistance with regards to this specific request, but should you have any questions or require additional clarification, please let me know.  A copy of this response will be forwarded to the *** as a response to complaint [SX2023040089 - (***************************) AA1833].
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************
  Director of Contact Centers
  Cape Air

  Customer response

  08/02/2023

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  Cape Air and *************************** specifically offered nothing new in this response.  He merely copied the previous email.  As *************************** initiates legal penalties for this very situation, I expect Cape Air to be more responsible.  They know very well that my final destination was not ******.  They know very well that their irresponsible service (lack of plane, lack of pilot) caused me to miss my flight and lose an entire day of income.  He hides behind arguing that people get sick and equipment breaks. Yes, but selling tickets for a flight which you have no equipment and/or staff is unacceptable and soon to be illegal. 

  [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.  If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  *******

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  05/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have attached a supporting document detailing the issues with my travel. Flight Receipt Ticket #: ************* Flight Date: 3/16/23 METHOD OF PAYMENT AX***********2003$494.60 ********** $100

  Customer response

  05/13/2023

  I have not heard from the business in response to my complaint.

  

  Business response

  08/02/2023

  Dear ****************,

  I apologize for your experience in travelling from ****** to ************.  I have reviewed your correspondence with our support agent and supervisor through our CARE Team, as well as the letter to the BBB.  As our agent instructed, due to the size of the aircraft, our carrier does not fall under the 400% reimbursement rule of the DOT's delay/denied boarding policy.  We would typically offer a refund if a passenger chooses not to travel, as you opted for rebooking the following day, a refund was no longer an option.  Our agent's offer of a round-trip complimentary airfare is still available, should you desire to take advantage of that offer.

  The other travelers you referenced in the BBB letter were subject to the other carrier's policies on disruption coverage, centered around the carrier being responsible for the delay that resulted in the passenger misconnect.  For travel disruption that we are responsible for, we do provide reimbursement for reasonable hotel expenses, but would require a proof of purchase from the traveler to provide a reimbursement payment.  If you can email us with an invoice for the hotel, we are happy to mail a reimbursement to you.  Please forward that to your previous emails with our support agents.

  Thank you,

  ***************************

  Director of Contact Centers

• Initial Complaint

  03/29/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a round trip ticket at the end of January (228ZEQ booking reference) to fly out of *********** to ************, **. I ended up arriving at the *************** just over ************************************************************** traffic as a result of a car accident on the highway. I was not allowed to board because I was told that it was too lake to check my bag. Therefore, I ended up having to spend a small fortune in gas and tolls to drive all the way from *********** to Cape Cod, which was a 5+ hour drive and over 300 miles each way. I was told that I would receive a refund for this ticket as I will NEVER use to fly Cape Air at any point in the foreseeable future. As of today, March 29, 2023, I STILL have not been refunded for this flight. If I am not refunded immediately, I will be taking legal action and filing a dispute with my bank.

  Customer response

  04/09/2023

  I have not heard from the business in response to my complaint.

  

  Business response

  08/02/2023

  Dear ******************,

  I've reviewed your complaint and travel information, along with the records from our Ticket Research & ****************** and confirmed that since this flight operated and was not the fault of the airline, it was not eligible for a refund.  However, your value is still open and usable in the system.  Unused flight credits remain active for one year from the date of purchase.  You may use these open tickets at any point this year by calling our reservations office and providing the ticket number: 306-2402046968.

  Thank you,

  ***************************

  Director of Contact Centers

  Cape Air

  Customer response

  08/03/2023

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  IT WAS THE ***** OF THE AIRLINE AND I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO USE FOR THIS TICKET SO REFUND ME IN FULL IMMEDIATELY OR I WILL REPORT YOU TO THE ATTORNEY GENERAL!!!!!
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  *******

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  01/20/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am filing a complaint and refund request. Yesterday Jan 19th the unprofessional rude gate attendant working ********** airport cancelled our flight, then she left the gate, disappeared for 1 hour all while a uber was called to cram us 7 passangers that do not know eachother into a small uber to go drive 2 hours to the destination. the uber was calling ** as he sat outside *********** airport wondering where all 7 people were that he was supposed to drive, but because the gate attendant took off and dissapeared we could not get our bags to go to uber..then we had to wait a hour for her to come back then all cram into a uber for over 2 hours. I want a refund and fiuture flight credit ...HORRIBLE *****************************************-************* INTL Terminal: ********************************************************* 5:12PM 19Jan2023 6:00PM 19Jan2023 ****************** by : CAPE AIR _

  Customer response

  01/31/2023

  I have not heard from the business in response to my complaint.

  

  Business response

  08/02/2023

  Thanks for reaching out to us. We're sorry regarding this experience, however, in cases of flight cancellation where alternate transportation is provided by the station and accepted, tickets are recorded as used and unfortunately cannot be refunded.  Our agents did provide a complimentary flight voucher, and while we may not be serving STL any longer, the voucher is valid for a year on any route Cape Air has service on.

  

  Business response

  08/02/2023

  Thanks for reaching out to us. We're sorry regarding this experience, however, in cases of flight cancellation where alternate transportation is provided by the station and accepted, tickets are recorded as used and unfortunately cannot be refunded.  Our agents did provide a complimentary flight voucher, and while we may not be serving STL any longer, the voucher is valid for a year on any route Cape Air has service on.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩