airlines

DOT Cracks Down on Airlines Withholding Refunds for Canceled Flights

Complaints from airline passengers soared in 2020, and are up over 500 percent, according to a new report

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Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Airline passengers during the pandemic got hit with a one-two punch, first having their flights canceled or rescheduled due to COVID disruptions, then having their money locked up by an airline that only offered a voucher. Now, the Department of Transportation, under orders from the White House, is cracking down.

Complaints from airline passengers soared in 2020, and are up over 500 percent, according to a new report by the agency, with over 100,000 submitted.

Passenger air travel was upended along with everything else in March 2020 as traffic plummeted to historic lows. Airlines were forced to cancel and reschedule flights and received billions in government funds to keep making payroll. But to keep flying, the airlines furloughed and laid off pilots and crew.

Read the full story at NBCNews.com.

A man was arrested after becoming belligerent on a flight from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City. The outbursts were captured by another passenger on the flight. American Airlines issued a statement saying the police were called to the plane to remove the man after landing.
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