Airlines will now provide automatic refunds to travelers if their flights are canceled or changed under new U.S. Department of Transportation rules announced earlier this year.
Those rules could have refunded $267,420,912 to passengers flying at DFW International Airport, according to a new study from Austin-based Upgraded Points.
The study, which used 2023 data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, reported that 9,915 flights, or 3.4% of the flights flown would have qualified for refunds to passengers. The third-busiest airport in the world for passenger traffic, DFW would have issued the most refunds, according to the study.
Dallas Love Field passengers could have been refunded $36,133,797 in 2023, had the new rules been implemented then, Upgraded Points’ study reported. That included 1,713 flights impacted by a significant delay or cancelation in 2023.
“Passengers deserve to get their money back when an airline owes them — without headaches or haggling,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a release from April.
Of the major airlines, United Airlines would have refunded disrupted passengers the most last year, with $1.3 billion. American Airlines, based in Fort Worth, would have refunded $1.2 billion to passengers in 2023, followed by Delta Air Lines with just over $1 billion owed to disrupted passengers.
Dallas-based Southwest Airlines would have owed $497 million to passengers in 2023, coming out of its 2022 winter meltdown which cost the airline more than $1.1 billion and a settlement with the Department of Transportation.
Around the same time as the Department of Transportation released its industry-wide rules, Southwest was given unique rules. For any flights that are delayed three or more hours after the scheduled arrival time or canceled at the fault of Southwest, the airline must compensate the passenger with a transferrable voucher worth at least $75. Interested flyers can fill out a form on Southwest.com/delayform to request the voucher. The requests must be submitted within one year from the date of the delay or cancelation.
Airlines for America, the lobbying group that represents all North American airlines, said carriers are working to ensure compliance with the new Department of Transportation rules. The 11 largest U.S. passenger airlines issued $43 billion in customer refunds, about $900 million per month, between Jan. 2020 and Dec. 2023, according to Airlines for America, and other forms of compensation.
Under the rules applicable to all airlines, passengers will be entitled to refunds if: departure or arrival times move by more than three hours domestically or six hours for international flights; passengers are being downgraded to a lower class than originally purchased; a change of departure or arrival airport; an increase in the number of connections or changes to connecting airports or planes flown if they are less accommodating for people with disabilities.
