If passengers cancel flights over COVID-19, should they get refunds?
May 14, 2020, 7:39 AM | Updated: 10:13 am
A hand sanitizer station sits at a empty check in line at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on March 15, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
(Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
With many passengers abandoning flights over COVID-19 concerns, there is a growing call for airlines to provide refunds that they normally would not.
U.S. Senate Democrats have proposed a plan that would require airlines to give cash refunds to any passenger that cancels a flight. As you know, if you cancel your own travel plans, you usually don’t get anything back from the airlines unless it’s a refundable ticket.
“It is time for airlines to stop shaking money out of the pockets of passengers and give people the refunds they are owed,” said Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, the bill’s sponsor.
Airlines cut back on flights as coronavirus scares away travelers
This legislation would require that even non-refundable tickets would be eligible for refunds right now. It’s being called the “Cash Refunds for Coronavirus Cancellations Act of 2020.”
It would require airlines and third-party ticket sellers to offer full cash refunds for all canceled flights during the pandemic. It would allow them to offer travel vouchers instead of cash if those vouchers are good indefinitely.
The bill does not spell out how long this would be required, just during the pandemic.
