The Department of Transportation (DOT) has proposed a new rule aimed at strengthening protection for consumers seeking refunds for airline tickets.
For several years, the DOT has asked airlines and ticket agents to give refunds to travelers in cases of flight cancellations or significant changes to their flights. But the terms “significant change” and “cancellation” weren’t previously defined. This resulted in “inconsistency among carriers on when passengers are entitled to refunds,” according to an Aug. 3 DOT statement.
In addition, various airlines have questioned the department’s authority to require such refunds since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a result, the DOT’s latest proposal seeks to codify refund rules. The agency is defining a “canceled flight” as being a flight that was “published in a carrier’s Computer Reservation System at the time of the ticket sale but was not operated by the carrier.”…