Mt. Pleasant, SC: A putative class action lawsuit has been filed in South Carolina against Airtran Airways, Inc. (Airtran) on behalf of putative class representative Sandie Mallard alleging that the defendant's negligence and breach of contract resulted in significant financial loss when Airtran failed to operate flights on which it sold tickets.
Filed in the Court of Common Pleas for the Ninth Judicial Circuit of South Carolina, the lawsuit Sandie Mallard v. Airtran Airways, Inc., claims that the low-cost air carrier is responsible for breach of contract, negligence and negligent misrepresentation. These allegations follow the voiding of thousands of confirmed and paid for tickets on domestic and international Airtran flights into and out of South Carolina, and the company's alleged subsequent failure to notify costumers of cancellations, rebook alternate flights and/or immediately refund ticket prices.
Any U.S. resident who held paid-in-full reservations made between December 4, 2008, and March 22, 2010, for flights that were scheduled to depart to and/or from South Carolina may be eligible to participate in this lawsuit if his or her reservation was cancelled due to Airtran's termination of service.
"As a teacher at Stratford High School, I have students who look to me each day for guidance," said Plaintiff Sandie Mallard, "and I owe it to them to stand up for myself no matter how intimidating the opponent. Airline passengers are tired of being taken advantage of by airlines that not only violate contracts but ignore passengers' rights to honest and lawful treatment. The airline needs to be held accountable to ticketed passengers who rightfully expected that Airtran would transport them after selling them tickets or at least immediately tell passengers Airtran had made its final departure from South Carolina. Instead Airtran waited weeks, kept my money, and refused to rebook or even help me, a ticketed passenger. Airlines assume they can get away with abusive behavior; after all they have in the past."
Airtran, a Delaware corporation authorized to do business in South Carolina, operated as a certified common carrier, marketed, sold and provided commercial air transportation to and from CHS for both domestic and international flights beginning in May 2007. On July 2, 2009, Plaintiff Mallard booked four round-trip tickets to Cancun, Mexico, on an Airtran flight departing on December 19, 2009, and returning on January 2, 2010. Despite confirming her reservation, Airtran terminated Mallard's flight and flights of other customers. The airline made no known effort to notify customers of its intention to cease service and seemingly concealed its intent to not honor the confirmed reservations. Since Mallard has come forward, numerous individuals have also reported similar financial loss due to travel experiences with Airtran.
