One of Britain’s biggest airlines has been fined almost £1 million by the U.S. government over claims it failed to pay refunds for cancelled flights during COVID-19.
In legal documents from the U.S. Transportation Department, British Airways was said to have failed to “provide timely refunds to passengers” for abandoned or rescheduled flights to and from the country during the pandemic.
The airline said it had “acted lawfully at all times” after being hit with the $1.1 million (£878,000) fine on Thursday, and refuted the claims.
A consent order from the department read: “From March to November 2020, British Airways’ website instructed consumers to contact the carrier via phone to ‘discuss refund options,’ including for flights the carrier cancelled or significantly changed….