New consumer laws protect travelers amid holiday delays and cancellations
(CBS DETROIT) — American Airlines grounded all flights Tuesday due to a technical issue. While the disruption was brief, only about an hour, travel delays and cancellations are especially hard during the holiday season.
The U.S. The Department of Transportation enacted new rules in October, aimed at protecting traveler rights. However, some wonder if the incoming Trump administration could overturn the new policies.
The refund rules simplify consumer protections.
"If you cannot provide the service, you have to return the funds," said Anton Radchenko, CEO of AirAdvisor, a company that fights for air passenger rights around the world.
Radchenko said the rules include automatic refunds for canceled and changed flights and refunds for late baggage. As well as refunds for services not provided, like seat selection and in-flight entertainment.
"If you paid for Wi-Fi and it didn't work, you should be entitled to the automatic refund," he said.
Some airline CEOs have said they expect the incoming Trump administration will be less aggressive with regulations, but Radchenko said it may be hard to undo these new policies as they are popular with travelers and could even save airlines money.
"You don't have to put the people in hotels or arrange the replacement flight at the last minute, which also can be expensive for airlines. Purely refund, nothing else, easy way out."
He said the new consumer protections are really very base-level compared to protections other travelers have around the world.
"To put things in perspective, this is nothing comparable to, let's say, UK or EU regulations or even Canadian regulations," Radchenko said. "Where not only do you have to provide the refund, which is common sense, but you also have to, if you can't deliver on the promise, you have to compensate for the inconvenience and time that the people lost at the airports. So this falls short of the best protections we see in many other countries."
