Q.  I'm very upset.  My boss closed his business suddenly, and  I'm going in for unemployment on Monday.  Prior to this, I had arranged a trip and now I hold tickets for airfare and a trip that I can't afford right now.  Is there a hardship plea I could make to an airline supervisor?  I have the "pink slip" letter from my boss as documentation.

A.  First of all, let us say how sorry we are that you (and so many others) have found themselves in this unfortunate situation.  JetBlue just announced yesterday that customers who book flights with them and lose their jobs can request and receive a refund on their reservation.  You can contact JetBlue for the particulars.  We hope that the rest of the airline industry takes note and follows JetBlue's compassionate lead.