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Dying veteran protests Spirit Airlines' no-refund policy

Jerry Meekins, who is battling cancer, has a new foe: Spirit Airlines. 

Meekins recently purchased an airline ticket from Spirit Airlines to visit his daughter in New Jersey. "Two weeks after I bought the ticket, I found out I was terminal," Meekins, a Vietnam veteran, told NBC affiliate WFLA-TV in Tampa, Fla.

Read the original report from WFLA-TV

Meekins says his doctors advised him not to fly. But when he asked Spirit Airlines for a refund, they refused.  

When contacted by WFLA-TV, Spirit Airlines issued this statement: "Our reservations are non-refundable, which means we don't do refunds and we are not going to issue Mr. Meekins a refund."

The airline also said that it offers low-cost travel insurance that covers a variety of unexpected circumstances and added, "It wouldn't be fair to bend the policy for one and not for all."

So Meekins stood outside Tampa International Airport on Tuesday with signs that say "Corporate greed is spelled Spirit Airlines" and "Spirit Airlines tells dying man no refund."

"My primary goal," Meekins said, "is to have them change their policy of a blanket coverage of no refund."

What do you think? Should Spirit Airlines make an exception for terminally ill customers? Tell us about it on Facebook.

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