Responding to a “flood of air travel service complaints” during the pandemic, the U.S. Department of Transportation proposed rule changes Wednesday to make it easier for airline passengers to collect refunds for canceled or delayed flights.
As travel demand has surged to near prepandemic levels, airlines have conceded that they often don’t have the staff needed to operate the flights, causing a spike in cancellations and delays — and in complaints from travelers who say airlines have been slow to offer refunds.
Current rules require U.S. airlines to pay refunds and flight vouchers for cancellations and “significant changes” to flight schedules but do not clearly define what “significant changes” mean. As a result, refund policies vary among the airlines, according to consumer advocates.
