US lawmakers review bill to guarantee quick refunds to airlines

U.S. House and Senate negotiators agreed late Tuesday to revise language in an aviation reform bill to ensure quick refunds for airline passengers whose flights are canceled and who do not seek alternative flights. On April 24, the U.S. Transportation Department finalized new rules that will require automatic cash refunds for canceled flights later this year when passengers choose not to take a new flight.

A bipartisan proposal released in Congress last week that would require passengers to ask for refunds had raised concerns that the law could undermine a rule that would ensure people who bought nonrefundable tickets were reimbursed for canceled flights. But under revised wording first reported by Reuters and made public on Tuesday, refunds would be automatic in many cases. Automatic refunds would not apply if passengers rebooked and accepted a new flight.

Senators hope the revised bill will be approved before Friday’s deadline to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration for a five-year term. Senate Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell, a Democrat who led discussions on the revised language, said: “Legal rights to refunds are a major victory for consumers in this bill. Passengers can decline vouchers or alternative flights and receive a refund without hassle. .”

Democratic Senator Ed Markey called the refund bill “a victory for aviation consumers everywhere.” A spokesperson for Senator Ted Cruz, the panel’s top Republican, said he and Cantwell had agreed to add a “clarifying point affirming consumers’ right to a refund if that is their preference.”

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Josh Hawley had proposed an amendment to make the refunds automatic and “address cumbersome business processes put in place to maximize airline profits.” The new provision is similar to what Warren and Hawley had sought. Neither the rule nor the legislation requires compensation for delays – as is necessary for some long waiting times in the European Union. President Joe Biden said last May that the Department of Transportation would propose new rules requiring airlines to compensate passengers with cash for significant manageable flight delays or cancellations.

The nearly 1,100-page, $105 billion bill would also increase air traffic controller staffing and increase funding to prevent runway incidents. But it does not include a provision passed by the House of Representatives to raise the retirement age of pilots from 65 to 67. The bill bans airlines from charging fees for families sitting together, adds five daily round trips at the busy Washington National Airport and requires airlines to accept vouchers and credits for at least five years.

The bill also requires aircraft to be equipped with 25-hour cockpit recording equipment and directs the FAA to deploy advanced airport surface technology to help prevent collisions.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)