{"id":1740485,"date":"2022-11-16T06:08:12","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T11:08:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1740485"},"modified":"2022-11-16T06:18:26","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T11:18:26","slug":"transportation-dept-demands-6-airlines-pay-over-600-million-in-refunds-to-passengers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/transportation-dept-demands-6-airlines-pay-over-600-million-in-refunds-to-passengers\/","title":{"rendered":"Transportation Dept. Demands 6 Airlines Pay Over $600 Million in Refunds to Passengers"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftransportation-dept-demands-6-airlines-pay-over-600-million-in-refunds-to-passengers%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1740485&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on Nov. 14 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transportation.gov\/briefing-room\/more-600-million-refunds-returned-airline-passengers-under-dot-rules-backed-new\">announced<\/a> \u201chistoric enforcement actions\u201d against six <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-airlines\">airlines<\/a> that have collectively been fined more than half a billion dollars for passengers who were owed a refund because of flight cancellations or changes.<\/p>\n<p>Frontier, Aeromexico, Air India, TAP Portugal, El Al, and Avianca were required to pay about $600 million in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-refunds\">refunds<\/a> for flight issues.<\/p>\n<p>DOT is also assessing whether the carriers must also pay a total of\u00a0$7.25 million in fines for\u00a0extreme delays in providing refunds.<\/p>\n<p>Specifically,\u00a0Frontier will pay out\u00a0$222 million in required refunds and a $2.2 million penalty, Aeromexico will pay $13.6 million in refunds and a $900,000 penalty, Air India $121.5 million in refunds and a $1.4 million penalty,\u00a0TAP Portugal was ordered to pay $126.5 million in refunds and a $1.1 million penalty, and\u00a0El Al $61.9 million in refunds and a $900,000 penalty.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, Avianca will pay $76.8 million in refunds and a $750,000 penalty.<\/p>\n<p>In November 2021, Air Canada agreed to a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.transportation.gov\/briefing-room\/us-department-transportation-secures-record-45-million-agreement-air-canada-settle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$4.5 million settlement<\/a>\u00a0with DOT following claims of\u00a0extreme delays to thousands of air passengers\u2019 refunds for flights\u00a0to or from the United States that the carrier canceled or significantly changed.<\/p>\n<p>DOT is headed by\u00a0Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg who said that airline passengers shouldn\u2019t have to wait for extended periods of time to receive their refunds.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4860602\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Frontier-airlines-GettyImages-1323903573-1200x788-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy wp-image-4860602 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Frontier-airlines-GettyImages-1323903573-1200x788-1.jpg\" alt=\"A Frontier Airlines plane\" width=\"640\" height=\"420\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4860602 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Frontier-airlines-GettyImages-1323903573-1200x788-1.jpg\" alt=\"A Frontier Airlines plane\" width=\"640\" height=\"420\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> A Frontier Airlines plane lands at the Miami International Airport in Miami on June 16, 2021. (Joe Raedle\/Getty Images)<\/figure>\n<h2>\u2018Refunds Should Be Paid Back Promptly\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cWhen a flight gets canceled, passengers seeking refunds should be paid back promptly. Whenever that doesn\u2019t happen, we will act to hold airlines accountable on behalf of American travelers and get passengers their money back,\u201d said\u00a0Buttigieg. \u201cA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-flight-cancellation\">flight cancellation<\/a> is frustrating enough, and you shouldn\u2019t also have to haggle or wait months to get your refund.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The department said it has received a \u201cflood of complaints\u201d from air travelers since the start of the\u00a0COVID-19 pandemic regarding airlines that have not provided refunds in a timely manner when their flights were either\u00a0canceled or significantly changed.<\/p>\n<p>In August of this year alone, the latest data available, 1,432 of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transportation.gov\/briefing-room\/air-travel-consumer-report-august-consumer-complaints-6-percent-july-more-320-percent\">7,243<\/a> complaints DOT received concerned refunds, while complaints in general are\u00a0more than 320 percent above pre-pandemic levels, according to the department.<\/p>\n<p>Under U.S. law, airlines and ticket agents must refund air travelers if the airline cancels or\u00a0significantly changes a flight to, from, and within the United States, and the passenger does not wish to accept the alternative offered.<\/p>\n<p>Airlines are not allowed to refuse refunds and provide\u00a0vouchers to those customers instead.<\/p>\n<p>Buttigieg <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/biden-administration-probing-airlines-over-passenger-complaints-amid-chronic-delays-cancellations_4589701.html\">said in July<\/a> that the\u00a0Biden administration had completed a string of investigations into several\u00a0airlines\u00a0over their alleged failure to\u00a0issue passenger refunds amid a rise in flight delays and cancellations and chronic\u00a0labor shortages, but did not identify the airlines at the time.<\/p>\n<p>In August, DOT proposed a new rule aimed at strengthening protection for consumers seeking refunds for airline tickets after their\u00a0flight is canceled or significantly changed.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4679018\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Seattle-Tacoma-Airport-passengers-Reuters-Images-1200x819-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy wp-image-4679018 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Seattle-Tacoma-Airport-passengers-Reuters-Images-1200x819-1.jpg\" alt=\"Seattle-Tacoma Airport passengers\" width=\"640\" height=\"437\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4679018 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Seattle-Tacoma-Airport-passengers-Reuters-Images-1200x819-1.jpg\" alt=\"Seattle-Tacoma Airport passengers\" width=\"640\" height=\"437\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> People wait in long check-in lines after dozens of flights were listed as canceled or delayed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle on Dec. 27, 2021. (Lindsey Wasson\/Reuters)<\/figure>\n<h2>More Airline Penalties to Come<\/h2>\n<p>At the time, DOT said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transportation.gov\/briefing-room\/part-ongoing-airline-consumer-protections-efforts-usdot-announces-new-rulemaking\">statement<\/a> that the terms \u201csignificant change\u201d and \u201ccancellation\u201d weren\u2019t previously defined, which it said \u201chas resulted in inconsistency among carriers on when passengers are entitled to refunds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In response, DOT proposed defining\u00a0the term \u201ccanceled flight\u201d as being a flight that was \u201cpublished in a carrier\u2019s Computer Reservation System at the time of the ticket sale but was not operated by the carrier.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, a \u201csignificant change\u201d was proposed to mean changes that\u00a0affect the departure and\/or arrival times by three hours or more for a domestic flight or six hours or more for an international flight; the\u00a0arrival or departure airport; increases in the number of connections in the itinerary; and\u00a0changes to the type of aircraft flown, provided it causes \u201ca significant downgrade in the air travel experience or amenities available onboard the flight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, the department\u00a0launched a new\u00a0interactive customer service dashboard where passengers could compare what they are owed by major airlines when flights are canceled or delayed.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for U.S carrier\u00a0Frontier Airlines,\u00a0Jennifer De La Cruz, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/travel\/2022\/11\/14\/airlines-pay-flight-cancellation-refunds\/10700356002\/\">told<\/a> USA Today in an emailed statement that the airline has \u201cissued over $92 million in refunds and redeemed credits and vouchers to customers who voluntarily canceled their non-refundable tickets during the pandemic and were not entitled to a refund under U.S. law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>DOT said on Monday that it\u00a0expects to issue additional civil penalties for consumer protection violations this year.<\/p>\n<div class=\"author_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"one_author_block round\">\n<div class=\"top_row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/author-katabella-roberts\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/ttl7dayERL_WEB_KatabellaRoberts.jpg\" alt=\"Katabella Roberts\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Katabella Roberts is a news writer for The Epoch Times, focusing primarily on the United States, world, and business news.\n<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on Nov. 14 announced \u201chistoric enforcement actions\u201d against six airlines that have collectively been fined more than half a billion dollars for passengers who<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1740488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1740485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1740485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1740485"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1740485\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1740488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1740485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1740485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1740485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}