Airlines That Delay or Cancel Your Flight will Soon have to Pay You Back

Airlines cannot give you a voucher; they must return your money in cash or the original payment method.

Soon, if Airlines cancel, postpone, or significantly alter a flight, they will be required by the Department of Transportation (DOT) to promptly reimburse passengers.

No matter why a passenger cancels their flight, Airlines are required to reimburse them in cash or using the original payment method. Passengers may also decide to take advantage of travel credit, alternative modes of transportation, or an alternative airline flight.

In addition, passengers must receive a refund from Airlines if their flight schedule is “significantly changed” and they decline the airline’s offer of alternate transportation. This specifically means that you will receive a refund if your flight is delayed by three hours or more, for domestic flights, or six hours or more, for international flights. A few other situations, such as if your airport of arrival or departure has changed, also fall under this policy.

Airlines are also required to reimburse you for the baggage fee if your paid-for checked bags are significantly delayed. If your bag is not delivered within 12 hours of your domestic flight arriving at the gate, or within 15-30 hours of your international flight arriving, you will receive a refund and need to file a report about mishandled baggage first. If the airline fails to provide the in-flight amenities that you paid extra for, such as entertainment, Wi-Fi, and seat assignments, you can also get your money back.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) also declared that Airlines will have to reveal extra costs for items like checked baggage and reservation cancellations before the sale of tickets.

“Airlines should compete with one another to secure passengers’ business—not to see who can charge the most in surprise fees,” US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “DOT’s new rule will save passengers over half a billion dollars a year in unnecessary or unexpected fees by holding Airlines accountable for being transparent with their customers.”

In the upcoming six to twelve months, the DOT will begin putting the new regulations into effect.