No one goes to the airport expecting their flight to be cancelled, but as we learned during the busy holiday travel season, it happens! If you find yourself stranded at the airport, you need to know your rights.
DOT regulations require airlines that operate in the U.S to provide full refunds, when requested, for canceled flights. But they are not required to provide any additional compensation, such as meal vouchers, reimbursement for increased costs to rebook with a different airline, or losing money on a prepaid hotel room.
If your flight is canceled, airlines usually will try to rebook you for free on another one of its planes, or possibly another airline. But at busy travel times, empty seats might not be available for days.
Charlie Leocha, president of Travelers United, a consumer advocacy group, says if you don’t accept the airline’s proposed new itinerary, you are legally entitled to a full refund for the unused portion of your ticket—even if you booked a “nonrefundable” fare.
“They need to refund everything you paid, including any seat, reservations, or any other ancillary fees that you may have paid. And you’re now due cash,” Leocha said. “Cash is always better because you can use it on any airline, and buy anything you want. Travel vouchers can expire – some only last 90 days, some last a year – and they are subject to restrictions.”
So, what if your flight is delayed? If that happens, the airline is not required to provide any compensation, or even vouchers or meals or hotels.
All 10 major U.S. airlines promise to provide meals if a delay is 3 hours or more. They also promise a complimentary hotel room for passengers affected by an overnight delay. Don’t expect the airline to volunteer this assistance; you may have to ask for these vouchers.
If your delay is significant and you decide to not continue with your original itinerary or accept a rebooking offer from the airline, you may be entitled to a full refund. The problem is the DOT doesn’t define what “significant” means; each airline gets to decide that.
More Info:
Flight Delayed or Canceled? Luggage Lost? Know Your Rights
Consumer Advocates Want the Department of Transportation to Fix Our Broken Airline System
Herb Weisbaum, The ConsumerMan, is a contributing editor at Consumers’ Checkbook and host of their new Consumerpedia podcast. Herb is one of America’s top consumer experts; an Emmy award-winning broadcaster who has been protecting consumers for more than 40 years. His website is ConsumerMan.com.
