The US government wants to overhaul airline refunds

The Department of Transportation proposed new rules on Wednesday aiming to “significantly strengthen” protections for consumers seeking refunds for airline tickets.

✈️ More deets… ​​Airlines are already required by law to issue refunds when they cancel a flight for any reason, or when they make a “significant change” – the definition of which has historically been left up to the airlines.

But the DoT’s new proposal, if approved, would take the option out of airlines’ hands, officially defining the term as:

• Domestic flights delayed at least 3 hours, or international flights delayed six or more hours
• Changes that increase the number of connections
• Changes to the departure or arrival airport, or changes to the type of aircraft flown – if it causes a significant downgrade in the air travel experience.

📸 Big picture: About 20% of US flights have been delayed so far this year, according to Transportation Department data, more than twice as many as in all of 2021. Over 3.2% flights have been canceled, compared to less than 1.6% last year.

+In the know: New data from online booking platform Hopper suggests the prices of domestic flights booked in August could fall 25% from May, while September and October will be the cheapest months to travel. *Runs to check PTO*