Representatives Espaillat, Maloney Lead Congressional Effort to Protect Aviation Consumers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representatives Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), member of the House Appropriations Committee, and Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), Chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform committee, sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation urging the agency to exercise its administrative authority and require air carriers and ticket agents to provide requested refunds to passengers when a carrier cancels or significantly changes a flight to, from, or within the United States.

Since 2020, the Department of Transportation has received an increased number of complaints and inquiries from airline consumers, who describe having been denied refunds for flights that were canceled or significantly delayed at no fault by the consumer.

“Aviation consumers are experiencing nightmare airline experiences,” wrote the Members. “We urge the Department of Transportation to exercise its administrative authority and require refunds to passengers when carriers cancel or significantly change flights to, from, or within the United States.

“Carriers have had a longstanding obligation to provide a prompt refund to a ticketed passenger when the carrier cancels the passengers flight,” they continued. “The focus is not on whether the flight disruptions are within or outside the carrier’s control, but rather on the fact that the cancellation is through no fault of the passenger.”

The letter comes as JetBlue recently announced its purchase of Spirit Airlines for $3.8 billion amid growing concern of anticompetitive practices that is inconsistent with the public interest.

Rep. Espaillat is a cosponsor of the Cash Refunds for Flight Cancellations Act, which would provide consumers an enforceable right to a full cash refund for flight and ticket cancellations.

Full copy of the letter to the Department of Transportation is available here.