ArcaMax

Q: I booked flights with Viva Aerobus from Tijuana to Hermosillo. The airline canceled the flights, and I requested a refund. But Viva Aerobus wouldn't refund it to my American Express card. Instead, it said that it had to wire the money to my U.S. bank account. I sent the airline the details for an international transfer. My bank is Northrop Grumman Federal Credit Union; I found a SWIFT code for the bank online and included it in the forms.

It turns out that my bank doesn't use a SWIFT code or an intermediary bank. To make matters worse, Viva Aerobus performed the transfer but used a different SWIFT code than the one I provided. It sent the money to Navy Federal Credit Union. I'm not a member there, so this bank won't help me.

I've sent several emails to customer service and the CEO, but nobody will reply. I also filed a formal complaint with PROFECO, Mexico's consumer protection agency. Can you help me get my $844 refund?-- Carol Bartell, in Carlsbad, California

A: When an airline cancels a flight, it's required under federal rules to refund you if you decide not to travel. But what we have here is a comedy (or maybe a tragedy) of banking errors, and it's difficult to know who gets the blame.

Let's start with the refund itself. Viva Aerobus should've simply reversed the charge on your American Express card. It's unclear why the airline insisted on a wire transfer, but this requirement set the stage for the confusion that followed.

You admitted in your correspondence that you searched for your bank's SWIFT code online. This is dangerous. You should always contact your bank to verify wire instructions. As you found out, your credit union doesn't use the SWIFT system. However, Viva Aerobus made a significant error as well. You provided a specific code, but the airline's records show that it sent the money to a different one. As you correctly point out, it directed your refund to Navy Federal instead of Northrop Grumman.

When a wire transfer hits a bank where the beneficiary doesn't have an account, the funds are typically rejected and returned to the sender. This process can take time, and money often sits in limbo while banks reconcile the error.

You did the right thing by escalating your complaint; you contacted the airline's executives. (I list the names and numbers for Viva Aerobus executives on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.) You also filed a complaint with PROFECO; for Mexican airlines, PROFECO is often the most effective route to a resolution because it has regulatory authority over carriers like Viva Aerobus.

Since the airline stopped responding to you, it may have been ignoring you. When a consumer protection agency gets involved, your case may get transferred to a different department that handles government complaints. Unfortunately, this often freezes direct communication with the customer to instead handle the issue through the official legal channels.

I contacted Viva Aerobus several times on your behalf. Finally, Viva Aerobus responded to you via your PROFECO complaint. It processed a new refund for $844 -- the full amount of your ticket.

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Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org or get help by contacting him at elliottadvocacy.org/help/.

(c) 2026 Christopher Elliott

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