Lawsuit Filed Against United for Refusing to Give Refund
The Department of Transportation clarified on Friday that airlines must give customers refunds when flights are canceled or significantly delayed during the coronavirus pandemic. Just three days later, United Airlines find itself in a lawsuit filed by a passenger who was refused a refund for canceled flights. Complaints can be seen in comments and all over social media, with many airlines trying to force customers to take vouchers or re-booking instead of full refunds.
In this lawsuit, the passenger Jacob Rudolph says 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 for a total of $1,521.45. But instead of giving a refund, United Airlines told Rudolph he could re-book the flights 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, temporary 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. Both the U.S. Department of Transportation and the European Commissioner for Transport have clarified in recent days that airlines must give passenger the option for a full refund.
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I’m glad this guy is suing them. The high level executives are the scum bags (not the rank and file) who in even in the best of times are always trying to find new ways to milk or take advantage of their customers.