To combat the nightmare summer travel season (think canceled flights, delayed flights and luggage going to Heathrow — even if you weren’t ) Pete Buttigieg and the Dept of Transportation issued a new proposal Tuesday that would extend consumer rights.
In the DOT’s press release, Buttigieg says, “This new proposed rule would protect the rights of travelers and help ensure they get the timely refunds they deserve from the airlines.”
As it stands now, airlines aren’t legally bound to give customers any kind of compensation for delayed or canceled flights, only when a customer is bumped from a flight that has been oversold.
Under the new proposal, consumers flying domestically or internationally should ‘be given a full refund based on their original payment method, whether that’s cash, credit or airline miles.’
“When Americans buy an airline ticket, they should get to their destination safely, reliably, and affordably… This new proposed rule would protect the rights of travelers and help ensure they get the timely refunds they deserve from the airlines,” Buttigieg said.