Congress Seeks Stronger Enforcement on Airline Refunds for Canceled Flights

A group of Democratic Senators is calling on the Department of Transportation (DOT) to strengthen the rule on airline refunds for canceled flights.

The lawmakers, known to be strong critics of the airline industry, want DOT to force airlines to not only include the cost of a canceled flight, but also ancillary costs such as food and lodging. The group includes Senators Maria Cantwell, Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, along with Edward J. Markey (Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (Conn.).

The three filed a comment on the DOT website during the government agency’s public comment period on airline refunds in the event of a significant delay or cancellation of a flight that was found to be the fault of the airline. The lawmakers say airlines delayed or canceled three percent of all flights this year in what has been several months of chaos thanks to “the perfect storm” impacting air travel, including fewer pilots and staff as well as an unexpected surge in air travel demand following the pandemic.

“This rulemaking is a critical response to the increase in flight cancellations and delays during the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in a record number of consumer complaints about the refund process,” the senators wrote. “While we commend the agency for taking this step, DOT can strengthen the proposed rule by protecting consumers from other costs that are beyond their control, including ticket service fees on canceled flights and secondary expenses resulting from a flight cancellation or delay.”

The Senators want DOT to enforce the following:

—Require airlines to cover secondary costs such as hotel rooms, food and drink, and transportation to-and-from the airport when an airline, due to a problem within its control, cancels or significantly delays a flight.

—Ensure that passengers are not forced to cover ticket agents’ service fees when an airline cancels a flight.

—Require airlines to report to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics the value of the refunds and vouchers issued to consumers each month.