Airlines have canceled thousands of flights due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Despite the unprecedented scope of the COVID-19 pandemic, carriers remain obligated to refund passengers when they cancel a scheduled flight and a simple future flight credit does not cut it. With the growing number of cancellations, airlines have been persuading customers toward the option of obtaining a future flight credit if their flight has been canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak. But the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a notice to US and foreign airlines reminding them that they remain obligated to provide a prompt refund to passengers for flights to, within, or from the US, when the carrier cancels the passenger’s scheduled flight or makes a significant schedule change and the passenger chooses not to accept the alternative offered by the carrier.
Important note to travelers: All of the above applies to flights that were canceled or significantly delayed by the airlines and not cancellations made by passengers. For those who have canceled or want to cancel flights still scheduled to operate, there is no government-protected entitlement to a refund.
Sven Franssen