“During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of the refund requests took longer than 100 days to process,” it added.
Meanwhile, the DOT said it received roughly 950 complaints regarding KLM’s handling of refund requests during that time period. KLM also took more than 100 days to process thousands of refund requests, according to the consent order.
As for South African Airways, the DOT said it received more than 400 complaints. The airline took more than 100 days to process many refunds, but was “unable to provide the department information regarding the exact length of time it took to process the thousands of refund complaints or requests,” according to the consent order.
“SAA has acknowledged that it did not begin to process the majority of its backlog of outstanding refund requests it received throughout the pandemic for flights canceled or significantly changed by the carrier until approximately May 2021,” the DOT said.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement Monday that when flights are canceled or significantly changed, “you shouldn’t have to fight with the airline to get [your] money back.”
