Airlines must now refund cancellations and disclose all fees

The government is cracking down hard on airlines that skimp on refunds and other questionable practices. Airlines like Delta, American and Southwest must now issue full refunds to customers for canceled and significantly delayed flights.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has implemented recent regulations to higher protect consumers from misleading flight prices. According to NPR, the principles will make sure that customers achieve this fully conscious your rights as you travel through the sky.

One provision will protect money spent by passengers within the event of flights being canceled or delayed. Customers will receive money refunds for canceled journeys or where delays cause disruption.

Another regulation requires airlines to achieve this must display the complete cost of the flight before the client purchases it. This includes all government taxes and fees, in addition to carrier-specific surcharges often hidden until purchase. Deemed “bait and switch tactics,” airlines lure unsuspecting customers into potentially purchasing specific flights while failing to disclose unexpected junk fees added to them. Now customers will know the total extent of their travel expenses before they embark on their journey.

In an announcement concerning the recent rulings, Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said passengers “deserve” higher protection when flying.

“Today’s announcements will require airlines to both provide passengers with better cost information before purchasing a ticket, and to promptly provide passengers with refunds when they are due – not only saving passengers time and money, but also preventing headaches,” he said Buttigieg. “Passengers deserve to know up front what costs they will incur, and they should get their money back when the airline owes them – without having to ask.”

However, airlines have previously resisted such changes, especially regarding disclosure of the complete price. The outlet predicted they’d likely fight the brand new rulings. Lobbyists prior to now have argued that full tariffs will confuse customers when securing a flight.

Buttigieg, nonetheless, dismissed those concerns, adamant that the move was in the most effective interest of travelers.