Spirit Airlines caved to public backlash Friday, agreeing to break its policy and refund the ticket of a terminally ill 76-year-old veteran whose doctor advised him not to fly.

The airline previously refused to reimburse Vietnam vet Jerry Meekins for the US$197 ticket to New Jersey , citing its strict no-refund policy. Meekins had planned to fly from Florida to New Jersey to visit his daughter before being told his cancer was terminal and advised not to fly, reported Yahoo News.

Thousands of fellow veterans and angry supporters took to Facebook to protest the decision. A Facebook page called "Boycott Spirit Airlines" received more than 30,000 "likes."

In the wake of the backlash the airline reversed its decision and offered Meekins a full refund. It also said it would donate US$5,000 to the Wounded Warriors charity in Meekins' name.

Spirit CEO Ben Baldanza apologized for the "mistake" in a statement to Fox News Friday.

"Sometimes we make mistakes," said Baldanza. "In my statements regarding Mr Meekins' request for a refund, I failed to explain why our policy on refunds makes Spirit Airlines the only affordable choice for so many travelers, and I did not demonstrate the respect or the compassion that I should have, given his medical condition and his service to our country. Therefore I have decided to personally refund Mr Meekins' airfare."

Just a day earlier Balanza released a statement defending the airline's decision not to refund Meekins, explaining the company cannot operate fairly if it makes exceptions to firm rules.

"We feel very badly for Mr. Meekins, however, this is a country and society where we kind of play by the rules. And he wanted to really not do that and that's really not fair to the 10 million other Spirit customers and that's why we made that decision," he said in a report to Fox News.

The airline announced earlier this week it will hike up fees for carry-on luggage to US$100 at the gate, sparking a round of complaints by angry flyers.