From what you have written, if you advanced the money for the airline flight and gave such to the person where in fact you were issued tickets in your name, but the flights designated by the ticket issued to you were cancelled, it is your responsibility and no one else's to try and get your entitled refund from the airline.The rationale is that the third party only agreed to purchase airline tickets for you and nothing else. She did. She has no responsibility for assisting you in getting the refund.