Delayed Airline Refund Payments Prompt Increase in Complaints

Slow responses by airlines to refund passengers for flights canceled by the pandemic has caused a huge increase in complaints to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

According to NBC Miami, complaints to the DOT during 2020 and the first half of 2021 accounted for a whopping 84 percent of all complaints.

By comparison, the DOT received an average of 17,420 annual aviation-related consumer complaints prior to the pandemic, of which 8.25 percent requested refunds for canceled flights.

In response to an inquiry from NBC Miami, the DOT issued a statement saying: “The DOT is taking steps to increase the number of DOT staff handling consumer complaints by 38 percent. They are also issuing formal complaints against airlines with extreme delays in refunds. The DOT is initiating investigations against 20 airlines for failing to provide refunds.”

Just last month, the DOT issued a report to The White House saying it had opened investigations into 20 different airlines after receiving a total of 30,100 complaints over delayed refunds.

In April of last year, as the pandemic became more and more obvious and airline travel had dropped below 10 percent capacity at one point, the government ordered air carriers to refund tickets for canceled or significantly altered flights in a timely fashion.

Legally, airlines and ticket agents have an obligation to provide a refund for canceled flights.