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Thanks to a new Biden-Harris administration rule, airlines are hereby mandated to automatically refund flights that are significantly delayed or canceled if the consumer rejects any alternative accommodation.

Announced on Wednesday by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the rule is reportedly meant to incentivize airlines to avoid/minimize significant disruptions like extended delays or cancellations.

“When an airline knows that all — instead of just a few of the passengers on a canceled flight — are likely to actually get their money back, it gives them a different set of reasons to put in the investment, and the realistic scheduling that makes those cancellations less likely to happen to begin with,” Buttigieg said in a statement.

According to CBS News, the new rule contains a universal definition of what a “significant change” to a flight means. Previously, the definition of “significant change” differed based on the airline.

“A significant change to a flight now includes a three-hour or longer delay for domestic flights, and at least a six-hour delay on international flights,” CBS News notes. “If an airline changes a flight’s departure or arrival airport, or adds a connection, that also counts.”

The new rule also boasts a bunch of other goodies for travelers. For example, travelers are entitled to a refund if their checked luggage doesn’t arrive at their final destination within a reasonable amount of time (12 hours for a domestic flight, and 15-30 hours for an international flight). The only catch here is travelers must first file a mishandled baggage report.

Travelers are also entitled to a partial refund if an extra service they paid for — including Wi-Fi, seat selection, or entertainment — isn’t available for some reason.

The most important aspect of the rule, according to a DOT press release, is that it “makes it simple and straightforward for passengers to receive the money they are owed.”

‘”Without this rule, consumers have to navigate a patchwork of cumbersome processes to request and receive a refund — searching through airline websites to figure out how to make the request, filling out extra ‘digital paperwork,’ or at times waiting for hours on the phone,” the press release reads.

“In addition, passengers would receive a travel credit or voucher by default from some airlines instead of getting their money back, so they could not use their refund to rebook on another airline when their flight was changed or canceled without navigating a cumbersome request process,” it continues.

Responding to the new rule, social media users were divided. Some criticized the new rule, arguing that it’ll just lead to higher prices and won’t resolve travelers’ immediate needs.

Look:

But many others praised the new rule, arguing it’s an example — albeit a rare one — of Buttigieg actually getting the job done.

The Transportation Secretary has previously faced criticism for being AWOL, namely when he quietly took time off from work for so-called “paternity leave” without telling anybody right after he and his gay spouse adopted two newborns.

Buttigieg took the “paternity leave” amid the infamous 2021 supply chain crisis. He claimed for his part that he was in contact with the administration the whole time and still handling his job while on leave.

Republicans for their part didn’t believe him:

Vivek Saxena
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