Flight refund in US

Kunj Prasad

Flight cancellations are a bad wrench to get thrown in a well planned air travel plan. When the delay occurs in the European Union, there are better laws on how to get a refund or compensation for the cancellation. In US, this is not so much the case. Frankly, even if the laws are in place, there isn't sufficient public awareness, nor do airlines remind passengers of the rights. The Covid-19 pandemic created an unexpected scenario where in March 2020, flights were cancelled to keep the virus from spreading; And in summer of 2021, there were many flight cancellations because the demand was high but there was a lack of certified pilots to fly the planes. During these times, a few illuminating articles came out on how to request for flight refund. This webpage is a collection of them for future use because while flight cancellations happen, there are rarely articles that describe steps that fliers can take to request for refund - in US.

References

First things first.. If you are able to access the oriinal articles, then by all means, use them, and the keywords within it to search for other results. Almost all of the text below are taken from these pages. Still it is good to know the actual source of information.

INVOLUNTARY REFUND for cancelled flights

Federal regulations by the Department of Transportation clearly state that the airlines are required to issue a **FULL** **CASH** refund in the event of an **AIRLINE CANCELLING A FLIGHT**. So, if the airline cancels the flight, cancels a flight or imposes a significant delay, then the passengers may be entitled to a refund, **EVEN IF THE TICKET IS NON-REFUNDABLE**. Also, you don't have to accept a voucher in any case, including, if your ticket is non-refundable. When requesting a refund for a canceled flight, it's important to make sure the airline knows the cancelation was "involuntary" and that you're requesting an "involuntary refund". To note: although the word "significant" (..in "significant" delays) is not defined, but 90-120 minutes is a good estimate for it. Weather related delays count as "irregular delays". Passengers may also request a refund if a schedule change happens at least 72 hours before departure and is four hours or more.

UPDATE (September 5, 2021):At the beginning of September, 2021, American Airlines has updated its policy where it is only liable to refund the ticket cost and tax for a flight that got cancelled (reference: here, here and here). So.. do be careful! Also, the airline companies in US are known to pick up on cost cutting trends started by one, so, in future, it MAY get picked by others.

Press for refund

Here's another story (sorry, don't have a news article link for this story): In March 2020, many fliers were cancelling their tickets as a preventive measure against Covid-19. It was just not worth the risk to take some flight and end up catching covid. This is also the period well before any vaccines were available. Many flight companies said that they will compensate the passengers for the ticket. However, this response wasn't uniform. Some budget airline company were giving vochers and not refunding the ticket. Many airlines were refunding cancelled tickets for flights after a particular date. Bottom line for such cases: If you are offered a voucher, write again to the company and ask for a full refund. Writing an email doesn't take long, and may work. If you can link the cancellation to a scenario that is outside your control, then best to ask for full refund, and don't settle for a voucher. Here's the disclosure: This is based on what I heard from people, some who get cash refund, while others who just got voucher. So, I'm not sure what is the law. Still, doesn;t hurt to ask for refund rather than accepting a voucher.

Request alternate route

Another viable option to use when a flight gets cancelled is to check if you can instead get a flight to neighboring city to your destination. Maybe also check if there are other nearby airports where you can go to and take flight from there. These aren't ideal options since they create extra steps/actions at source or destination airport, but it may be worthwhile to explore these options if in a bind. If your carries is a big company (like American Airlines, United airlines, or Delta), then you can also ask them if there is an option to get a flight from partner airline - meaning, that even if your original ticket was with American Airlines and which got cancelled.. maybe, you'll get another one with United airlines or with Delta that'll take you to your destination.

One of the reference websites mentioned on top suggest that when working with an airline agent, it is best to engage them with app or chat messages, rather than by being on a call. This is because if the agents might be more likely to respond to chat messages, which allow them to be more productive vy enabling them to multitask. If you are in the airport, then talking to the gate agent is also a good option.

Avoidance

Sometimes it may be possible to avoid scenarios where you are stuck with a cancelle flight and then fretting to get a refund and also wondering how to reach your destination. This section discusses some of such scenarios.

Avoid late night low distance flights

If taking a flight that is 2 hours or less, then it is suggested to avoid flights that leave later in evening. If you can take the flight that leaves by 5-6pm. This is because even if these flights get delayed/cancelled, you'll get a preference in the next flight and can still expect to reach your destination later in the day. However, if you have something like 8 or 9pm flight, then there are various reasons for which it can get delayed: maybe it gets delayed to accommodate previous flights, maybe there are less maintenance crews to get the flight ready. Whatever be the reason, it just becomes increasingly dreary to remain awake at later hours and then reach your destination even later. Even if you try to go to some other nearby airport, you won't find shuttle services to go from the other airport to your actual destination. The best solution (according to me) is to avoid late night flights - if possible. For completeness, this does not apply if the flight is a long distance flight and generally leaves airport at night so that the passengers can sleep and reach destination in morning.

Alternate mode of transportation

In summer 2021, there were instances where the security check on certain airports become 2 hour long (example: in Austin, TX), or many flights were getting cancelled. If you see such scenarios developing, then maybe pause and consider if it may be worthwhile to instead use train or bus for communication. Train as mode of transportation is generally a laughable option, but it may be viable for travel along the east coast of US. Plus, there is a different charm of travelling by such modes. There's also the option of taking a bus. I am not aware of long-distance ride-share options in US, how common it is, or also how safe it is. Side-note: If you are planning to use bus for overnight transportation, then do research if the route is safe enough. Even then, best to do so when travelling in group and to avoid overnight trip.