US Airlines Have New Rules on Refunds for Canceled Flights. Here’s What to Know

The way airlines refund or compensate you for flight delays and cancellations has changed. So have policies on misplaced luggage and fees for in-flight Wi-Fi that doesn't work.

When a new set of rules for how airlines handle refunds were announced in late April, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said they would “deliver the biggest expansion of passenger rights in the department’s history."

As of October 28, those rules have gone into effect in their finalized form. Air carriers are now required to provide prompt, automatic refunds for canceled or significantly delayed flights without requiring customers to seek out those refunds or jump through hoops on a website or in an app to get them.

The new rules also require airlines to be more transparent about add-on fees, such as change or cancellation fees, and to issue refunds for baggage that’s delayed more ...