Skift Take
Crisis or not, the U.S. government made it clear that airlines owe refunds to a lot of customers. Airlines don't want to see cash go out the door, so look for more carriers to take creative approaches to try to buy passengers off and keep them from asking for their money back.
U.S. airlines must refund passengers when they cancel flights due to the coronavirus pandemic, the federal government said Friday, a blow to at least two carriers that have been making it difficult for customers to recover their money.
The pro-consumer move is consistent with the U.S. Department of Transportation's usual policy, though there was some question whether the government would waive its rules because of the unusual circumstances. Normally, if an airline cannot fly a passenger within a couple of hours of the scheduled time, it offers a refund. Because those situations are rare — airlines generally cancel a small percentage of flights — carriers usually return money without delay.
But recently, JetBlue Airways and United Airlines took the position that these were extraordinary circumstances and altered their policies. At points during the past four weeks, both essentially said they were permitted to cancel a flig
