New rules are being rolled out to help airline passengers understand exactly how much they’re being charged and get automatic cash refunds when flights are delayed or canceled.
The Biden administration announced the new rules b they U.S.
Department of Transportation on Wednesday. According to the administration, airline passengers can receive refunds on cancellations or if there’s a “significant change” in their flight.
In a press release, the administration defines “significant change” as “departure or arrival times that are more than 3 hours domestically and 6 hours internationally; departures or arrivals from a different airport; increases in the number of connections; instances where passengers are downgraded to a lower class of service; or connections at different airports or flights on different planes that are less accessible or accommodating to a person with a disability.”
Passengers can also receive a refund of their checked bag fee if it’s not delivered within 12 hours of their domestic flight or 15-30 hours of their international flight. They can also receive a refund for any fees for extra services they paid for and did not get, including inflight entertainment and Wi-Fi.
Airlines are required to issue refunds without passengers having to request them and it must be the full refund of the ticket purchase price, including taxes by the government and airlines.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a press release the new rules “set a new standard.”
“Passengers deserve to get their money back when an airline owes them - without headaches or haggling,” he said.
Another rule being issued by the administration is aimed at protecting airline passengers from “surprise junk fees.”
“The rule requires airlines and ticket agents to tell consumers upfront what fees they charge for a first or second checked bag, a carry-on bag, and for canceling or changing a reservation,” according to the Department of Transportation. “This will help consumers avoid unneeded or unexpected fees that can increase quickly and add significant cost to what may, at first, look like a less expensive ticket.”
Joe Brancatelli, a travel expert and the editor of JoeSentMe.com, told KNX News’ Jon Baird he thinks most airlines already follow these rules, but the new rules won’t hurt consumers.
“Whether it will have a positive impact is something we'll have to watch in the real world and in the real world of how the government applies the regulation and charges and fines,” he said.
For more information on the refund and junk fee rules, click here.
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