No, the refund requirement is if the passenger declines alternative transportation or airline credits. Biden-Harris Administration Announces Final Rule Requiring Automatic Refunds of Airline Tickets and Ancillary Service Fees | US Department of Transportation
ETA: You’re right, this doesn’t quite answer the question of a delayed flight that takes off a few hours late and gets you to your destination. Sounds like that would be owed a refund. I’m sure there will be weather/ATC exceptions.
I think they can. Just refund your credit card or whatever. But I can see the skepticism as they appear hopelessly disorganized in most ways.
I’ve gotta admit it’s probably because coming from Chicago I hardly ever have to take connecting flights, but I don’t think I’ve ever had an airline lose my bag in probably 100+ lifetime flights.
I’ve had 1 bag lost in my life. It arrived the next day. It was going to the Bahamas for PCA.
Fate, tempted.
Feels tell me this isn’t entirely accurate. Also I don’t completely understand what poker situation this is but whatever.
It’s strip poker. If you lose you have to take an article of clothing off. I think they’re saying Biden is out maneuvering them, while they continue to sing the senile tune.
Probably a warm take, but if this refund rule increases the cost of air travel that’s probably a good thing, at least in areas with alternate travel options (e.g. The northeast corridor). We need people taking more trains and fewer planes.
(I’m sure airlines will use it as an opportunity to increase prices just to increase profits)
It will be great to see how well this Vegas/LA bullet train takes off. A 4 year build leading to a succesfull launch could trigger a slew of routes around the country. Think Chicago/NY, Boston/NY, Miami/NY, Miami/No/Dallas, SF/Portland/Seattle, Sf/LA. In two decades we can be competing with Japan for bullet train coverage
That would be amazing (though unlikely in my cynical opinion). And the CA HSR that’s actually under construction–I just saw some updates on that and it’s promising, assuming they keep the number of stops down and get it linked to the major cities properly.
The SF/LA one or the LV/LA one?
SF / Sac / LA / (eventually)SD
Currently it’s just central valley, starting with Bakersfield to Merced iirc
so your flight gets cancelled, they refund you, and what? you give it back to them to buy tickets for the flight that leaves in the morning that they would have bumped you to anyway?
The only way that a bullet train is getting built from NYC to Miami is if the entire Eastern Seaboard is destroyed and needs to be rebuilt. The Vegas bullet train is easy to build because it’s being placed in an existing right-of-way on mostly flat land. There isn’t even a cost-effective way to replace the Amtrak Acela with an actual high-speed train.
must be if delay is airline caused vs airport / weather caused.
I also have serious doubts about Trains being a viable option for 95% of the country.
Like how many people are going from Chicago to St Louis in a way that they both start and end anywhere near the train station? Going from dense urban hub to dense urban hub via train makes so much more sense than having to take 45 minutes to an hour of driving or other trains once you reach your destination.
LA to Vegas makes some sense because 95% of people going to Vegas are going to the Vegas Strip.
It’s probably still cheaper and easier to get to your destination from the train station unless your destination is in the suburbs near the airport.
I don’t even see what the excitement is about. In the last six months I’ve had two flights cancelled outright by United, both of which were due to mechanical issues. For each cancelled flight I was able to rebook with United, although I was given the option to simply request a refund (which I assume would be credited without a hassle).
LOL at thinking that any airline is now going to send a flight out 4+ hours late rather than just cancel the flight and get the vast majority of these passengers onto one of their later flights.
As I understand it, you’re being guaranteed a full refund as one of your options if your flight is cancelled or significantly delayed and you choose not to travel.
