Do new federal refund rules for airlines cover weather delays?
The Department of Transportation announced it will guarantee an automatic refund, alternate travel, a voucher or alternate compensation for any flight delayed over three hours or canceled but airline professionals are wary and want to read the fine print.
What to know about new airline refund rules
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced new aviation rules to protect airline passengers from costly fees and delays.
Under new federal rules, airline travelers are now guaranteed an automatic cash refund if a scheduled flight is delayed three or more hours domestically or delayed six hours internationally. However, it is not yet clear if all delays, regardless of the reason, will be subject to the rules.
Commercial pilot Kathleen Bangs said that while she hasn't seen the fine print on the new rules yet, she doubts the weather policy would change.
"In other words, when there's major impacts like we saw with COVID, when there's major impacts to the air traffic control system, when there's severe and dangerous weather, when we've seen with blizzards and ice storms, that shuts down airports, when there's security issues – there's still a lot of issues in which the airlines are not on the hook," Bangs said. "So I don't necessarily see that that will change."
The new rule can be enforced six months after it goes into the Federal Register, which will likely be the first glimpse at that important fine print.
Passengers already due refund for cancellation or major flight delay
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced Wednesday that airlines were unhappy with the proposed change, but he didn't think the new rule would be a big change for them.
"A lot of what we hear from passengers involves refunds, or the lack thereof, for passengers who experienced cancellations and disruptions," he said. "In theory, passengers are already supposed to be refunded for a cancellation or a major delay. In practice, it often doesn't work that way."
Until the new rules, airlines decided what constituted a significant delay.
WORST AIRPORTS FOR FLIGHT DELAYS
File: Airline delays and cancelations have led to many shortened vacations recently.
(Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Bangs agrees but fears the announcement will leave customers confused as to how much compensation they are owed.
"I don't see that this necessarily means that any reason now that your flight is delayed, you're automatically going to get this refund, and I think people need to understand this," she said. "In most cases, you're still going to want to take a flight, whether it's delayed three hours or next day. So you're not going to get a refund and the flight. I hope people are clear on that."
The DOT also included other passenger protection measures in the new rules. FOX Business details the protections in "Biden admin's new airline rules to require cash refunds for canceled flights, fees disclosed up front."
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR FLIGHT IS CANCELED
New federal airline rules for delayed passengers
The Department of Transportation announced new consumer protections for airline passengers delayed more than three hours domestically. Airlines would be required to give and automatic cash refund if alternate compensation is not accepted. FOX 35 Orlando's Marie Edinger takes a closer look at the rule as well as other protections it offers.
Passengers have an option for a refund, or refund in airline miles, if they turn down the airlines' offers of alternate transportation, credit, vouchers or other compensation for a flight within, to or from the U.S. Refunds must be "prompt," within seven business days for credit card payments or 20 days for other forms of payment like miles.
Keeping airlines accountable will improve service across the board, Buttigieg suggested.
"When an airline knows that all, instead of just a few of the passengers on a canceled flight, are likely to actually get their money back, it gives them a different set of reasons to put in the investment, and the realistic scheduling that makes those cancelations less likely to happen," he said.
HOW A WEATHER DELAY ON A FLIGHT COULD PUT MONEY BACK IN YOUR WALLET
FILE - Flight attendants hand out refreshments to a packed Delta Airlines flight traveling from Ronald Regan National Airport to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport on Friday, May 21, 2021.
(Kent Nishimura / FOX Weather)
Until the rule goes into effect, the DOT encourages passengers to check with the Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard to find out which airlines offer compensation and what type for delays and cancelations. For example: All 10 major airlines offer a meal or meal cash/voucher when a cancelation means a three-hour delay to wait for a new flight.