Airlines Now Legally Required To Provide Automatic Refunds For Canceled Flights

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Frustrating days in airports may have just gotten a bit easier to deal with.

The Transportation Department has announced that U.S. airlines are now required to give passengers an automatic refund for canceled or significantly delayed flights. These refunds also apply if paid services, like Wi-Fi or other entertainment, aren’t provided.

In a social media post from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Monday, he said, “Passengers deserve to get their money back when an airline owes them—without headaches or haggling. Today, our automatic refund rule goes into full effect. Airlines are required to provide prompt cash refunds without passengers having to ask.”

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According to the new rule, airline passengers must be refunded within 7 days if their flight was purchased with a credit card, and within 20 days if purchased any other way.

The updated rules also affect checked bags that are lost or delayed more than 12 hours for domestic flights, and 15 to 30 hours for international flights, depending on the travel distance.

To review the Transportation Department’s initial proposal click here.

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