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If you’ve ever encountered a setback while flying, you likely know airlines aren’t exactly scrambling to dole out compensation to passengers who’ve been inconvenienced. Thankfully, it seems like we’re about to enter a new era courtesy of government regulations that will make it easier to get paid if your flight is canceled or delayed.
There was once a time when flying was a somewhat glamorous experience that people genuinely looked forward to, but unless you remember the days when you could spark a cigarette on a commercial airliner without anyone batting an eye, you probably don’t know what that was like.
That might still be the case for anyone who books a first-class ticket or has access to an airport lounge, but those amenities don’t make you immune to the cancelations and delays that have become increasingly frequent in recent years (close to 25% of flights in 2024 have seen their initial arrival or departure time pushed by 15 minutes or more).
The Department of Transportation does have a dedicated webpage that allows travelers to check the policies America’s biggest airlines have when it comes to addressing those inconveniences, but its efforts to make them adopt a more customer-friendly approach have left a bit to be desired–at least until now.
According to a memo the agency released on Wednesday, new rules will force airlines to “provide automatic cash refunds to passengers” who encounter a cancelation or “significant delay” (although it’s worth noting the definition of “significant” hasn’t been explicitly defined).
While carriers were previously allowed to issue vouchers after forcing disgruntled passengers to endure the seventh circle of Customer Service Hell while navigating websites and phone trees, they now “must automatically issue refunds without passengers having to explicitly request them or jump through hoops” and do so within seven days if a credit card was used to book the ticket.
That’s not the only welcome change, as the DoT is also going after budget airlines (like one whose name aptly rhymes with “Fear It”) known for springing charges on customers who weren’t aware they had to pay for a checked bag or carry-on until arriving at the airport by forcing them to clearly disclose that information at the time of booking.
These updates certainly won’t solve every issue, but it’s a step in the right direction.