On Thursday, U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) filed an amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Reauthorization bill that would ensure airlines automatically refund consumers if a flight is cancelled or significantly delayed.
The amendment would crack down on corporate processed put in place to maximize airlines’ profits, officials said, and to protect rules instituted by President Joe Biden’s administration to ensure passengers get automatic refunds. The FAA Reauthorization bill includes language that requires passengers to make written requests for the refunds.
“When your flight gets delayed for hours or outright cancelled, you shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get your money back. Congress should come together to make this important change for automatic refunds and put American families ahead of airline profits,” Warren said.
A recently announced rule set to take effect next month would require airlines to automatically refund passengers when an airline cancels their flight, or if the flight is delayed for more than three hours. However, the latest version of the FAA reauthorization Act currently being negotiated in the Senate, strips the automatic refund guarantee and forces passengers to request refunds.
“Passengers shouldn’t have to beg airlines for a refund when their flight gets delayed or is cancelled altogether. This amendment would protect consumers and put Americans before airline profits,” Hawley said.