Passengers deserve to get their money back when an airline owes them—without headaches or haggling. Today, our automatic refund rule goes into full effect. Airlines are required to provide prompt cash refunds without passengers having to ask. pic.twitter.com/otIvRaGJxC
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) October 28, 2024
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s new rule requiring airlines to automatically refund passengers for significantly delayed or canceled flights went into full effect on Monday. The rule aims to make air travel better for passengers, especially ahead of the busy holiday travel season in November and December. Under the new regulation, 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 offered by the airline.
The @USDOT's new airline refund rule fully goes into effect today. Here's what you need to know, and what airlines owe you if something goes wrong on your next flight https://t.co/26efQ6DOBH
— Zach Wichter (@zlwichter) October 28, 2024
Significant changes to a flight include 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 who file a mishandled baggage report will also be entitled to a refund of their checked bag fee if it is not delivered within 12 hours of their domestic flight arriving at the gate, or 15-30 hours of their international flight arriving at the gate, depending on the length of the flight.
Automatic refunds alter airline policies
U.S. airlines are now required to refund passengers for a canceled flight.
The new rule went into effect on Monday.https://t.co/n1B0xSjwKu— 🚨 Rusty Surette (@KBTXRusty) October 29, 2024
Additionally, passengers will be entitled to a refund for the fee they paid for an extra service, such as Wi-Fi, seat selection, or inflight entertainment, if an airline fails to provide this service. The refunds must be automatically issued whether or not the passengers ask for one. They must also be issued within seven business days in cash or the original payment method like credit cards or airline miles.
📣Airlines in the United States are now required to give passengers cash refunds if their flight is significantly delayed or canceled, even if that person does not explicitly ask for a refund. https://t.co/Qbivx6A231
— Rep. Laura Hall (@RepLauraHallD19) October 29, 2024
Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated on Monday, “Passengers deserve to get their money back when an airline owes them—without headaches or haggling. Today, our automatic refund rule goes into full effect. Airlines are required to provide prompt cash refunds without passengers having to ask.”
The new rule is designed to alleviate the frustration and stress passengers often endure when dealing with flight disruptions, establishing a straightforward and automatic process for obtaining refunds.
