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. 
 
 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. 
 
 "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. 
 
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 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 ||||| A flyer had to cancel a trip to visit his niece because of sickness. But the ticket was nonrefundable. So he wrote a letter. (Source: Family photos/WIVB/CNN) 
 
 BUFFALO, NY (WIVB/CNN) - A flyer had to cancel a flight to visit his infant niece because of a sudden illness, and he thought he might be out a lot of cash. But he sent customer relations a letter that impressed them. 
 
 "She just makes the best faces, and she's really easygoing," said Alex Hamberger, who loves being an uncle to his niece Mia, but he doesn't love that she lives all the way in Kansas City. 
 
 "She was born last September," he said. "And then I was back out there in November. And then she was home for Christmas so I have seen her three times." 
 
 The fourth time was supposed to be in March, when Hamburger planned a weekend trip to see his sister, brother-in-law and niece, but a sudden illness grounded him. 
 
 Hamberger's ticket was non-refundable, and cancelling meant he would owe American Airlines $200. 
 
 He decided to write them a letter to explain: "Dear most kind and benevolent American Airlines customer service staff member, I write to you with the hopes that you may take mercy on me and afford a little sympathy for this flyer who has taken quite ill and had to postpone his trip to see his beloved niece." 
 
 "I visited the doctor that evening, and he was sufficiently concerned with my symptoms, and suggested I cancel my trip to Kansas City the following day. Why? I wondered silently to myself," he said. 
 
 He signed it and mailed it off. A couple of weeks later, the grateful flyer got an email: "Dear Mr. Hamberger, Thank you for your letter to customer relations. I enjoyed reading it, and your photo story to match." 
 
 He was delighted to learn that the airline appreciated his tale. They waived the cancellation fee and helped him rebook his trip. 
 
 "I sure don't want your niece to be disappointed if you don't show up. Mr. Hamberger, I know you will have a lovely time visiting family," the email said. 
 
 "To have such a nice response from someone at the company just brightened my whole day, and even the days since then, since I've been thinking about it and talking about it with different people," he said. 
 
 Copyright 2016 WIVB, family photos and American Airlines via CNN. All rights reserved.
– Now that other airlines are jumping on the fees-for-carry-ons band wagon, Spirit Airlines wants you to be sure and remember that they were the first. The airline is jacking up its carry-on fees, which will now range from between $20 a bag all the way up to an eye-popping $100, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. The cheaper rates are for fliers who pay the fee online; wait until you get to the gate, and it'll cost you c-note. Appalled? Then maybe you should join the burgeoning boycott on Facebook. The boycott isn't about bag fees though; it's about the airline's refusal to refund the ticket of 76-year-old veteran Jerry Meeks, who had to cancel a flight on doctor's orders because he's suffering from terminal esophageal cancer, Mashable reports. It gets worse: This dying ex-marine was flying in the first place to see his daughter, who was having surgery. As of this writing, the boycott page has more than 20,000 likes.