They are a business, and have T&Cs which cover them, as you rightly point out. Unfortunately, it's the way of the world and they owe you nothing.
Jet2 had always done alright out of my family since starting operations out of Leeds, and got a lot of our business. They screwed us over twice... Once when my mum had to cancel a holiday to attend a doctors appointment (it was potentially something serious) and the second time a few months later when it turned out it was something serious, which went down hill fast, and she couldn't travel. When dealing with my bereavement a few months later, I thought about chasing the
up, but realised they wouldn't care anyway, and their T&Cs would have covered them. Tough
. I did trawl through their info online to see, but gave in as it wound me up.
All I do now, is put it down to bad luck, and favour traveling on other airlines - being a little bitter towards them. It's hardly their fault, but it irks me to think that they wouldn't have given us a refund regardless of our unfortunate circumstances.
All these low fares outfits are up to the same tricks. If you pay them your money knowing this, then that's the risk you take.