“We’re holding airlines accountable when they fail to give passengers the refunds they’re owed,” Buttigieg said.
The airlines didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment late Monday.
The DOT said it has ensured the refund of nearly $4 billion owed to airline passengers during President Joe Biden’s administration.
In 2022, the DOT’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection said it had launched six enforcement actions that resulted in Colorado-based Frontier Airlines and five foreign air carriers being ordered to collectively refund more than half a billion dollars to customers whose flights were canceled or significantly changed. On top of that, the six carriers were ordered to pay a total of $7.25 million in civil penalties for what the DOT described as their “extreme delays in providing refunds.”
And last year, the DOT unveiled stricter, more explicit rules requiring airlines to compensate customers — beyond just refunds — for major flight delays and cancellations.
