The Department of Transportation announced that airlines in the United States are now required to refund passengers if their flight is cancelled or significantly delayed whether or not the person asks for a refund.
This new rule went into effect on Monday, October 28 and comes just in time for when everyone travels for the holidays. Now I know airlines will typically refund you for cancelled flights but this refund rule is great because passengers won't have to hassle with trying to get their money back. Here's a more in depth look into what this rule means:
- Delayed Flights - automatically entitled for a refund if your flight is delayed by more than 3 hours for domestic or 6 hours for international.
- Refund will be processed if flight is cancelled or delayed significantly ONLY if the passenger doesn't accept the changed flight (on a significantly delayed flight), rebook an alternative flight or accepts an alternative compensation.
- Refunds must be made within 7 business days if flight was purchased on a credit card or within 20 days if another form of payment was used.
What do you think of this new U.S. airline rule? For more, click here.