United Airlines Sued After Refusing Refunds for Canceled Flights

April 6, 2020

United Airlines Sued After Refusing Refunds for Canceled Flights

The Department of Transportation clarified on Friday that airlines must give customers refunds when flights are canceled or significantly delayed during the coronavirus pandemic. Now, just three days later, a United Airlines lawsuit has been filed by a passenger who was refused a refund for canceled flights. Similar cases have reported repeatedly all over social media, with many airlines trying to force customers to settle for vouchers or re-booking instead of a cash refund,

The passenger, Jacob Rudolph, filed the suit in federal court in Chicago on Monday, saying he was denied a refund request for three plane tickets he purchased in January to travel to Minneapolis/St. Paul from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, on April 4. The tickets were purchases directly from the United Airlines website for $1,521.45. Instead of a refund, the airline said Rudolph could re-book or get a travel credit that must be used within a year.

“United refuses to issue monetary refunds to passengers with canceled flights. It does so even though airline passengers are entitled to a refund if the airline cancels a flight, regardless of the reason the airline cancels the flight” the United Airlines lawsuit says. “Travel vouchers provide little security in this public crisis, particularly where many individual Americans need money now to pay for basics like food and rent, not restrictive, temproray credits towards future travel”.

The lawsuit is being filed as a potential class-action since thousands of passengers have had their flights canceled and are entitled to refunds, the court documents say.

If an airline has forced you to take a voucher make sure to contact them again and ask for a refund. It has been made clear in the US and Europe that airlines must give passenger the option for a full refund.