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    Facebook Call to Boycott Airline Takes Off for Treatment of Dying Vet

    By Zoe Fox | Mashable – Thu, May 3, 2012

    Facebook users are rallying around a campaign to boycott Spirit Airlines, after the carrier refused to refund the cost of a dying veteran's flight.

    Jerry Meekins, a 76-year-old former marine, requested a refund on his $197 flight to New Jersey from Florida, to visit his daughter during a surgery. Meekins's doctor told him not to fly because he is suffering from terminal esophageal cancer.

    [More from Mashable: Bucket List Baby’s Fight Against Fatal Illness Inspires Millions Online]

    The "Boycott Spirit Airlines" Facebook Page, which had about 700 likes earlier in the week, has more than 18,000 likes as of Thursday morning, Fox News reports. The page was initially started in 2010 when the airline announced it would begin charging for checked luggage.

    Much of the backlash on Facebook against Spirit Airlines is coming from current military members and veterans.

    [More from Mashable: Your Instagram Photo Could Win You a Trip Across the World]

    "I believe Spirit Airlines owes a debt to the Veteran and an apology. Being a good corporate citizen seems not to be in their culture. I will not fly them because of this. I am a proud U.S. Navy Veteran," wrote one Facebook commenter, Robert Twigg.

    SEE ALSO: 10 Tech Innovations That Streamline Air Travel

    Spirit Airlines didn't respond to a request for comment.

    In addition to the Facebook campaign, the Veterans of the Vietnam War and the Veterans Coalition wrote a letter to Spirit Airlines Tuesday.

    Is Facebook the right channel to call for airline boycotts? Do you think there's a better way to build a strong campaign?

    Image via Spirit Airlines

    This story originally published on Mashable here.

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