Travelers could soon have more rights if their flight is canceled or delayed, as the Department for Transport looks to “strengthen” protections for consumers seeking refunds.
The agency proposed a rule Wednesday that, if adopted, would define the conditions for a “substantial” change and repeal for the first time.
Passengers are currently entitled to a refund if an airline has “made a significant schedule change and/or significantly delayed a flight and the consumer chooses not to travel” — although the DOT has not yet defined what “substantial” means.
Under the rule, the department will outline significant changes such as:
- Changes that affect departure and/or arrival times by three hours or more for a domestic flight or six hours or more for an international flight
- Changes to the airport of departure or arrival
- Changes that increase the number of connections in the route; and
- Changes to the type of aircraft flown if this causes a significant deterioration in the air travel experience or the amenities available on board the flight.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg speaks while attending the commercial driver’s license training program at Lehigh Carbon Community College in North Whitehall Township, Penn., Aug. 2, 2022.
Matt Smith/Shutterstock
The move comes amid increased complaints against airlines – most of which relate to refunds and flight handling, according to agency data.
“I think the Department of Transport has heard that passengers are fed up with the flippantness of the airlines and some of the actions that are not user-friendly,” Henry Harteveld, a travel industry analyst at Atmosphere Research Group, told ABC in an interview News.
In addition, the rule would “codify the Department’s long-standing interpretation that failure to refund when a carrier cancels or substantially changes a flight to, from, or within the United States is an unfair practice,” DOT said.
“The problem, I think, so far has been that you as an individual passenger don’t necessarily know what a significant delay is on Delta, versus American, versus Southwest, versus Spirit is — It can be significantly different for each airline,” said Scott Keyes , founder of Scott’s Cheap Flights, told ABC News. “And these airlines don’t even specifically mention what they consider a significant delay.”
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, US airlines have refunded $21 billion in cash, according to Airlines for America (A4A), the group that lobbies on behalf of all major US airlines. Cash refunds accounted for 8% of passenger revenue in 2021 and 22.3% of passenger revenue in 2020, up from 4.3% in 2019, A4A said.
The public will have 90 days to comment on the proposed rule. After that period ends, DOT will review and analyze the comments and then decide whether to proceed with a final rule as proposed or with modifications, issue a new or modified proposal, or withdraw the proposal entirely.
ABC News’ Sam Sweeney contributed to this report.
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