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Complaints mount against discount airline

"I paid for this. The extra leg room, the extra large seat. And [the gate agent] said 'We changed the plane,'" passenger Bill Brown said.
Credit: Clancy, Samuel

ST. LOUIS — It was an airline many of you paid to bring to St. Louis.

WOW Airlines promised cheap direct flights to Europe. But now, one customer claims his ticket was a trip to a nightmare.

WOW Air announced last year that they were setting up shop in St. Louis, Hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars helped make it happen, which is why one passenger is wondering why he didn't what he paid for.

He spent his life teaching history, so in retirement, Bill Brown finally wanted to see some of it. Namely, jolly old England.

"There were some things about the UK that I was interested in. [I] knew a guide who would take us around Normandy," said Brown.

When brown heard WOW Airlines was setting up shop in St. Louis he bought a ticket to the UK eight months in advance.

"I was excited because from the city of St Louis flying almost anywhere is a hippity hop, you don't get to go directly to where you'd like to go," said Brown.

Just one problem though; Brown recently had a knee and hip replacement. So he upgraded.

"We ordered the extra leg room, extra large seats," said Brown.

The vacation went off without a hitch. But on the return flight to St Louis, the airline said he couldn't have what he paid for that extra large seat.

Brown was livid.

"I paid for this. The extra leg room, the extra large seat. And [the gate agent] said 'We changed the plane. If you had read your ticket closer' or something to that effect. She said 'I'm sorry,'" said Brown.

Seven hours later he was back in St Louis, but he says the problems continued.

"Three of the four of us didn't get our luggage back when we got to St. Louis. I knew there were 18-to-20 people who didn't get their luggage," Brown said.

Brown says WOW found his luggage a few hours later in a storage closet.

The I-Team found that in the past two-and-a-half months, passengers nationwide have filed dozens of complaints against the carrier with the Federal Aviation Administration. On issues like over-sales, baggage problems, refunds and customer service.

Last month, one St. Louis woman told the I-Team WOW airlines lost her luggage in Paris and a month later, still couldn't locate it.

For Brown, the discount airline hasn't lived up to its hype or its investment.

"If they realize word of mouth gets around, no one is going to want to use those flights, then, city of St Louis, whatever money they invested is just going to be money thrown down the drain," said Brown.

After the I-Team reached out to WOW Airlines, they refunded Brown $500 for giving away his seat. In response to the complaints we told you about, WOW told us most of the time things go smoothly for their passengers.

The airline also explained their refund policy to Brown via email:

"It is WOW air policy to refund for the services that were not provided. Unfortunately, as our fare prices go by supply and demand, they change very frequently and therefore it is not possible to refund you the difference between the fares, and would also be against our refund policy which you can read up on here.

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