Feds hit airlines about delays, seek reimbursement for flyers

Feds hit airlines about delays, seek reimbursement for flyers

A woman and child from Brazil wait for their flight underneath a board showing roughly a dozen cancelled flights among the scheduled arrivals, at Miami International Airport, Monday, Dec. 27, 2021, in Miami. Thousands of flights worldwide were canceled or delayed on Monday, as airline staffing shortages due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19 continued to disrupt the busy holiday travel season. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

(AP) — The Transportation Department is thinking of requiring the airlines to offer flyers refunds if their flight schedule changes significantly — or if their airline makes major changes to their itinerary. The proposed rules announced yesterday would force carriers to give refunds if their departure or arrival time changes by three hours or more for a domestic flight — or at least six hours for an international one. The refunds would apply to travelers who buy non-refundable tickets, which usually cost less and are favored by many leisure travelers.

Photo: (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)