Bills don't just magically go away if you refuse to pay them.
When the pandemic hit, flights were cancelled, and refund requests were unanswered here in Canada, many were afraid of requesting a charge back through their credit card company. In a country with only two major airline companies and a size that is too vast to travel by land all the time, getting banned from one, if they choose to do it, would make one's life so much more difficult. Tech is not far from that in terms of oligopoly power.
Was there ever a precedent of an airline ban over a chargeback where a refund was warranted?
Not to airlines, which have your full legal name, date of birth, and passport number on file.
Not to big tech either, which are in practice giant surveillance companies and have mastered the art of tracking everyone and anyone on- and offline.
> Was there ever a precedent of an airline ban over a chargeback where a refund was warranted?
I don't know. But many people would not have the time to research this to their satisfaction, nor would want to risk it and find out the answer the hard way.