Sick veteran denied flight refund dies | News

Clearwater, Florida -- A Pinellas County Vietnam veteran, who made national headlines over his battle with Spirit Airlines, has died.  76-year-old Jerry Meekins passed away Tuesday from esophageal cancer.

In April, Meekins protested Spirit Airlines at Tampa International Airport, after the airline refused to give him a refund. Meekins had purchased a ticket to see his daughter in New Jersey, then found out he was too ill to fly.

After an avalanche of bad publicity, Spirit's CEO gave Meekins a refund and donated $5,000 to his favorite charity, the Wounded Warrior Project.

Meekins' American Legion post in St. Petersburg is planning a memorial service for Saturday.

Previous Stories:

• Terminally ill man protests airline over no-refund policy
• CEO says refund denial is company policy
• Spirit Airlines issues refund after community backlash