The Biden-Harris Administration recently announced a final rule issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). This rule requires airlines to promptly provide passengers with automatic cash refunds under specific circumstances. Here are the key points:
- Canceled or Significantly Changed Flights:
- Passengers are entitled to a refund if their flight is canceled or significantly changed (as defined by the rule).
- Significant changes include:
- Departure or arrival times more than 3 hours domestically or 6 hours internationally.
- Departures or arrivals from a different airport.
- Increases in the number of connections.
- Downgrading passengers to a lower class of service.
- Connections at different airports or flights on different planes that are less accessible or accommodating to a person with a disability.
- Significantly Delayed Baggage Return:
- If passengers file a mishandled baggage report, they are entitled to a refund of their checked bag fee if the bag is not delivered within 12 hours of their domestic flight arriving at the gate or 15-30 hours for international flights, depending on the flight length.
- Extra Services Not Provided:
- Passengers can claim a refund for fees paid for extra services (such as Wi-Fi, seat selection, or inflight entertainment) if the airline fails to provide these services.
This rule aims to create certainty for consumers by standardizing refund requirements and ensuring passengers receive their money back without unnecessary complications. Airlines must now adhere to these guidelines, making it easier for passengers to assert their refund rights.
Remember that these regulations apply to U.S. airlines, and other countries may have similar or different rules. Always check the specific regulations for the airline and region you’re traveling in!
via upworthy:
When a flight is delayed or canceled, people shouldn’t leave the airport without getting their rightful compensatio
Every day, several flights across the world get delayed or canceled for various reasons. Though passengers are promised a refund in those cases, they have to go through days of hassle to finally receive it. However, a new law has been passed in the U.S. that allows passengers to be instantly refunded under certain conditions. This April, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) released a new rule for the airlines asking them to “provide passengers with automatic cash refunds when owed.” This rule applies only to specific conditions but it will surely make the refund process hassle-free.
When airlines “cancel or significantly change their flights, significantly delay their checked bags or fail to provide the extra services they purchased,” they are indebted to compensate the passengers instantly. “Passengers deserve to get their money back when an airline owes them—without headaches or haggling. Our new rule sets a new standard to require airlines to promptly provide cash refunds to their passengers,” Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. Transportation Secretary, said in a statement. Before this rule maneuvered the refund processes of all airlines, every individual airline had its own refund policies giving the passengers quite a difficult time to figure it out
Some airlines had unreasonable refund policies in case of flight cancellations or delays and DOT received several complaints regarding this. But now that this generic rule has been applied to all airlines, passengers can effortlessly receive their refunds. If the flights are canceled or significantly delayed (more than 3 hours for domestic and 6 hours for international), the passengers are automatically eligible for a refund. If the baggage return happens 12 hours later for domestic flights and 15-30 hours (depending on the flight duration) for international flights, the passenger’s checked baggage fee will be refunded. If extra services like Wi-Fi, seat selection, or inflight entertainment, for which the passenger has paid aren’t offered, those fees will be refunded.
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