Pleasant surprise

In January 2019, my wife and I booked a flight from Minneapolis to Portland, Oregon, on Delta Air Lines, the first leg of a June 2019 trip to South Korea, but we got our signals crossed and double-booked — a goofy first for us — so we had to cancel two of the tickets. They were nonrefundable economy-class tickets for $310.40 each.

The usual online flight-cancellation routine levied a $200 fee for each ticket and offered a future travel voucher for the balance, just $220 total. But I was given an option I had never before encountered: would I like a voucher or would I like to try for a refund? I chose to gamble on the long shot and checked the refund box.

I heard nothing from Delta and assumed I had given away a valuable voucher. Months passed, and I closed my empty and dormant Citibank credit card account.

But — surprise! — in mid-February 2020, I got a mystery settlement check from Citibank. It took two calls to Citibank’s customer service to identify the source of the windfall: Delta Air Lines.

In the amount of $620.80, it was a full refund.

Wonders never cease.

RON CARLSON
Lakeland, MN