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How Can Passengers Avail Of Automatic Refunds Under New US Regulations?

The Department of Transportation or DOT released these new regulations on Wednesday, April 24.

by Tooba Shaikh
How Can Passengers Avail Of Automatic Refunds Under New US Regulations?

The United States of America or the US has issued some new regulations which make it easier for passengers to get automatic refunds if their flights are cancelled or are significantly altered. The Department of Transportation or DOT released these new regulations on Wednesday, April 24. It is an effort to make refund policies more uniform across airlines. Here are all of the important details that you would need to know about these new regulations regarding refunds for flights.

Flyers To Get Automatic Refunds Under New US Regulations

automatic refunds us
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According to an article which was recently published by the Hindustan Times or HT, these new regulations will be applicable to all flight travel within, from and to the US. The telos behind these new regulations is to make it easier for people to get their money back.

These new regulations will be applicable if the flight is significantly changed or even cancelled. Following is the list of what counts as a flight being “significantly altered”: –

  • If there is an increase in the number of connecting flights.
  • If a domestic flight is delayed for more than three hours.
  • If an International flight is delayed for more than six hours.
  • If there is a change in the departure or arrival airport.
  • If changes in a plane or connecting airports are less conducive to people with disabilities.
  • If your seats are downgraded to a lower class than what was originally purchased. 

Also Read: Korean Passenger’s Unruly Behaviour Forces Flight From Europe To Make Emergency Landing In Kazakhstan

New Rules Will Be Implemented In The Coming Six Months

automatic refunds us
Image Credits: Canva Images

These new rules come into effect in the next six months to one year, as per the transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg. However, he also mentioned that airlines could and should start rolling out these changes as soon as possible and need not wait for the specified period.

As per the HT article, as much as 87 per cent of the complaints during the peak pandemic received by the DOT were regarding delays or lack of flight refunds. This is why these regulations were issued.

Also Read: Air Arabia’s ‘Super Seat Sale’ Offers Discounts On 15,000 Seats With Non-stop Flights From India

Do you think similar rules should also be implemented in India? Let us know in the comments section below!

Cover Image Credits: Canva Images

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