Bay Area air travelers welcome new refund rules on canceled flights, lost luggage
With the summer travel season looming and with as more people take to the skies at Bay Area airports, new rules are aiming to help passengers fed up with delays, cancellations, lost luggage and hidden fees.
More than 70 million passengers traveled through local airports in 2023, a significant jump from the year before.
In what is being called the biggest expansion in of passenger rights in the Department of Transportation history, new rules announced Wednesday will make it easier for travelers to get their money back if their flights are delayed or cancelled. It's all part of the Biden administration's plan to strengthen consumer protections.
"I'm usually on an airplane about once or twice a week," said attorney David Amell. He was flying back to Oakland from LAX on Wednesday and said he was bumped from his original flight and re-booked on a later flight.
Amell said that isn't bad compared to a Saturday a few months ago when he was stuck at LAX for more than eight hours due to cancelations.
"I think I got like a $150 voucher. At that point I would have paid them $150 extra to get on a flight," the frequent flyer told CBS News Bay Area.
It's situations like those that spurred the Department of Transportation to draft new rules to protect travelers.
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"We have heard it all. And too often the things that we hear about aren't just irritating inconveniences. They are significant harms, and more importantly, violations of passengers' rights. And we're here to do something about that," said Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
The rules announced Wednesday require a refund - not flight credit or miles - for a canceled flight.
If passengers are delayed for more than three hours for a domestic flight or six hours for an international flight they can get a refund if they don't want to fly.
Bag fees also have refunded if a checked bag is significantly delayed, and passengers get a refund if services they paid for aren't available, such as broken Wi-Fi.
Airlines are also now required to disclose fees up front for things like checked bags, carry on bags, or changing or canceling a flight.
"This isn't just about enforcing when something goes wrong. It's making it less likely something would go wrong in the first place," Buttigieg said.
It's a welcome change for passengers like Angela Menjibar, who missed a connection coming back from an international trip.
"Last night my flight was delayed leaving Montego Bay. Got me just in time to miss my flight, I had to get rebooked," she said.
Menjibar also told CBS News Bay Area she hopes the new rules will also incentivize airlines to plan better and solve problems before they arise.
"It should be a wakeup call to them. Anytime someone is hit in the pocketbook, it should kind of wake you up, right?" said Menjibar.
"Cancelations, delays, they happen. But they shouldn't happen because the airline is just seeking to maximize profit. So I think that moves by the government such as this, I think it's great," said Amell.
The new rules about refunds go into effect in six months. The rest will start a year from now.
A spokesperson for the group "Airlines for America", which represents the largest U.S. carriers, said airlines "offer a range of options including fully refundable fairs to increase availability to air travel and help customers make ticket selections to best fit their needs" and noted refund complaints have fallen sharply since mid-2020.