HARRISBURG, Pa. — A new rule from the Department of Transportation is supposed to make it easier for you to get a refund when your flight is canceled or delayed.
FOX43 Finds Out how there's been confusion about how this would all work and a push to stop it.
Here are the 3 main takeaways from this new rule
1. If your flight is delayed more than 3 hours domestically or 6 hours internationally, you are entitled to get a full cash refund even if you booked a non-refundable flight.
2. Airlines should also give you that refund within about 7 days.
3. The rule makes the refund automatic, meaning you wouldn't have to call or request anything.
There are some stipulations because this is an either/or scenario. A travel expert from Going.com explains how you only get a refund if you don't take the rescheduled flight.
"Big caveat there, if you decide that you are still going to travel -- that means your flight now leaves 4 hours after the intended departure time, and you get on that flight, you forfeit the right to request a refund. (3:54) Or, say your flight gets canceled and you get re-booked for the next day, and you again, decide to take that flight, you - again - are forfeiting to request a refund," said Katy Nastro from Going.com.
This does come into play for any reason the flight is delayed or canceled, even weather. Nastro said airlines are going to have 6-12 months to put this in effect before they could get fined by the FAA.
There are challenges to the new rule
A group of four bipartisan lawmakers started to push through legislation that would change that automatic refund part. They added one line to the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Bill. One line, in a more than 1,000-page bill.
You can find that one line 429 pages in, which reads that passengers can get a refund "upon written or electronic request of the passenger."
That would effectively change the whole automatic refund part. You could then only get your money back if you request it and each airline could make their policy different and complicated.
Are airlines going to charge me more for my ticket upfront if they're going to give more refunds?
Nastro said that is unlikely because competition is the still biggest price-determining factor for airlines. Also, keep in mind that a lot of people still will not take the refund. A similar rule like this is already in effect, the difference now is that there is more uniformity across all airlines and a definition of a "significant delay."
There are also new rules about refunds when your airport is changed or if they add more stops. Passengers are also able to get money back for things like baggage fees, wifi, and other perks.
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