Lost and found: US airlines return money from mandatory delayed bags Aviation News

The proposal will require a refund if the airline does not deliver a bag within 12 hours of touching the U.S. passenger flight or within 25 hours of the international flight.

The U.S. Department of Transportation will propose that airlines have to reimburse their checked baggage fees if the bags are not delivered to passengers quickly enough.

If the proposal becomes final after a lengthy process of drafting the regulations, it would be returned immediately for additional fees, such as internet access, if the flight is not provided by the airline during the flight.

A department official said the agency will submit the proposal in the coming days and it may be in effect next summer.

The proposal will require a refund if the airline does not deliver a bag within 12 hours of touching the U.S. passenger flight or within 25 hours of the international flight.

Current regulations require a refund only if the bags are lost, even if the companies have to compensate the company for the “reasonable” expense accidents incurred while the bags are being delayed. The government does not know how often companies keep rates, even if the bags are significantly delayed.

The proposed quota quotas are the first in the U.S. airline’s and consumers ’regulations coming from U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration, according to an executive order soon to be signed by a senior Department of Transportation (DOT) official. of anonymity, to discuss a proposal that has not been made public. The order will be designed to boost competition and give consumers more power.

Kurt Ebenhoch, executive director of Travel Fairness Now, the airline’s consumer organization, called the return of bag rates “a long list of consumer-friendly articles calling for DOT action”. Among the top priorities is the return of cancellations related to the coronavirus pandemic, stronger rules for families with young children to sit together without extra pay, and greater transparency in flight schedules and fares, he said.

John Breyault, vice president of the National Consumer League, said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg seems to be paying more attention to consumer issues than Elaine Chao, who had a job in the administration of former President Donald Trump. But he said the Biden administration would like to act faster.

“It will be proof whether this DOT will make consumer protection a real priority after four years of good neglect, at best, and active regulatory sabotage at worst,” Breyault said.

Last year, more than 100,000 consumers complained to the government about airline service. The biggest problem was the return of the money, even though most of the airlines claimed that they had refused because it was a pandemic and canceled trips to consumers. The Department of Transportation is seeking a $ 25.5 million fine against Air Canada, but has not taken action against other carriers for refunds of canceled flights.

In 2019, the entire last year before the pandemic, passengers paid $ 5.76 million to U.S. companies in checked baggage, according to the Department of Transportation. That dropped to $ 2.84 million last year due to the pandemic of travel. Quantities are not included for portable bags.

For many years, customers can bill a bag or two at almost any airline without paying a fee. That began to change in a travel crash caused by the 2008 financial crisis. Now, most U.S. airlines charge for a bag other than the Southwest, although fares are often waived for customers who purchase high-fare tickets or carry the company’s credit card. .

American Airlines generated $ 2 billion in cash to pay for the billed bills in the last two years, followed by Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, each generating about $ 1.5 million. Because they are smaller in size, discount companies like Spirit and Frontier, among others, raise less money, but get a higher percentage of fees.