I recently discovered scottscheapflights.com for airfare deals, but last week he gave some travel advice regarding airline refunds.
ADVICE FROM SCOTT
Canceled flight? You deserve a refund from the airline.
Airlines have spent the past month doing everything they can to avoid giving out refunds for canceled flights. Their favorite alternative: offering travel credit instead. It’s not right, it’s not legal, and you can’t pay for groceries with a Delta gift card. But they’re hoping you don’t know any better.
Know your rights
If an airline cancels your flight, you’re eligible for a cash refund. Period. That’s not me talking, that’s
federal law.
Friday, April 3, 2020
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation today issued an Enforcement Notice clarifying, in the context of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency, that U.S. and foreign airlines remain obligated to provide a prompt refund to passengers for flights to, within, or from the United States when the carrier cancels the passenger’s scheduled flight or makes a significant schedule change and the passenger chooses not to accept the alternative offered by the carrier. The obligation of airlines to provide refunds, including the ticket price and any optional fee charged for services a passenger is unable to use, does not cease when the flight disruptions are outside of the carrier’s control (e.g., a result of government restrictions).
The Department is receiving an increasing number of complaints and inquiries from ticketed passengers, including many with non-refundable tickets, who describe having been denied refunds for flights that were canceled or significantly delayed. In many of these cases, the passengers stated that the carrier informed them that they would receive vouchers or credits for future travel. Because the COVID-19 public health emergency has had an unprecedented impact on air travel, DOT’s Aviation Enforcement Office will exercise its enforcement discretion and provide carriers with an opportunity to become compliant before taking further action. However, the Aviation Enforcement Office will monitor airlines’ refund policies and practices and take enforcement action as necessary. The notice can be found here: ENFORCEMENT NOTICE REGARDING REFUNDS BY CARRIERS GIVEN THE UNPRECEDENTED IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY ON AIR TRAVEL | US Department of Transportation.
Schedule changes count
If an airline significantly changes your flight itinerary, you’re also eligible for a refund.
Annoyingly, the law doesn’t define exactly what a “significant schedule change” is. Though it varies by airline, in general these would be considered significant:
• 2+ hour change to your arrival or departure time
• Nonstop flight changed to a connecting flight
No excuses
If an airline cancels/changes your flight, you’re eligible for a refund, even if:
• They only canceled/changed one flight in your itinerary
• You had a basic economy ticket
• It’s on a foreign airline. As long as a flight takes off or lands at a US airport, the airline must follow US law
• The airline could really use the cash. That doesn’t give them the right to keep your money
What about third-party bookings?
If you booked through a major online travel agency (think Expedia or Priceline), the good news is they’re generally following the airlines’ refund policies. If your flight is canceled, you’re owed a refund, even if you booked through a third party.
Be proactive
Few airlines are proactively telling passengers about their right to a refund because they’d prefer you accept a voucher instead. If they’re stonewalling, these are the three things you can do:
• Hang up, call again. Airlines have thousands of call center agents and each has discretion to grant a refund. Countless times I’ve been told no on the first two calls, only to be told yes on the third call.
• File a complaint. The Department of Transportation will forward your complaint to the airline and threaten “enforcement action” if they don’t act soon.
Here’s the form.[URL="https://airconsumer.dot.gov/escomplaint/ConsumerForm.cfm"]Air Travel Complaint - Comment Form[/URL]
• Credit Card Dispute. Banks have protections for customers in case they pay for something that they don’t ultimately receive (like, say, a flight that got canceled).
Wait to cancel
If you voluntarily cancel, you’re only entitled to a voucher. Even if you’ve decided not to take a future trip, hold off as long as possible in the hopes the airline cancels your flight.
TAKE ACTION
Send us your questions
Have you had trouble getting a refund? Or have questions about what to do? Hit Scott up on
Twitter.
Spread the word
Do you know someone who deserves a refund from an airline? Forward this email to help them understand their rights.
