New Rules For Airline Flight Refunds
There are new rules for airline flight refunds. If you fly a lot for work or pleasure, you know what a nightmare it can be sometimes. Delays and cancelations happen on a daily basis at airports across the country. Weather is usually the biggest factor when it comes to cancelations or delays. Other issues can be mechanical or shortage of staff.
Unfortunately, these things happen and passengers have to scramble at the last minute to make their destinations. Usually, if your flight is canceled or delayed, there is no compensation from the airline. You’re just out of luck and you have to deal with it. Well, all that is changing. There are now new rules for Airline flight refunds. This is good news for the passengers. The airline will be required to pay you cash back for your delayed or canceled flight.
Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced that within six months, airlines will be required to comply with new rules. The new rules will require cash refunds for cancellations and long delays as an “expansion of passenger rights.”
Here Is How It Works
Passengers will be “entitled to a refund if their flight is canceled or significantly changed, and they do not accept alternative transportation or travel credits.” This will also include airlines changing your itinerary before the day of your trip. The delays covered would be more than three hours for domestic flights and more than six hours for international flights. A alternative transportation for example, if your flight is canceled, and they’re able to put you on a flight the next morning, if you opt to take it, that’s accepting “alternative travel.”
The refunds will also include tickets purchased directly from airlines, travel agents and third-party sites like Expedia and Travelocity.
So basically, you will get the refund if you don’t take the later delayed or re-scheduled flight.
Other Rules for Airline Flight Refunds
There are other rules that airlines will have to follow. The DOT is also requiring airlines to give cash refunds on luggage if your bags are lost and not delivered to you within 12 hours. The rules also force airlines to refund you for extra services you specifically paid for and didn’t get . . . like wi-fi, premium seat selections, and in-flight entertainment. So this is great news for the consumer. If you travel a lot and deal with these types of issues during your flights, you may want to make sure and get some compensation.
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