Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says airlines will soon be forced to pay out refunds for cancelled and excessively-delayed flights.
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(Washington, DC) – The next time you deal with a delayed or canceled flight, you could end up getting a refund much more easily. That’s following new rules from the Department of Transportation under the Biden administration. Under the rules, instant refunds will be triggered in certain situations — and the White House is also looking to crackdown on so-called “surprise junk fees” when flying.
DOT Commissioner Pete Buttigieg says “Passengers deserve to get their money back when an airline owes them — without headaches or haggling.” Cash refunds must be automatically issued — rather than upon a customer request — when baggage return is significantly delayed, or if in-flight amenities like Wi-Fi don’t work.
The automatic cash refunds will be triggered if flights are canceled, or delayed for more than three hours for domestic flights — six hours for international flights. Luggage lost and not returned within 12 hours result in refunded baggage fees. DOT officials say airlines have six months to get in line with the new rules.
Also, the DOT says new rules could soon be put into place concerning rights for passengers traveling while using wheelchairs, and for families that are charged fees for sitting together.
