The Biden administration issued final rules Wednesday to require airlines to automatically issue cash refunds for things like delayed flights and to better disclose fees for baggage or canceling a reservation.
The Transportation Department said airlines will be required to provide automatic cash refunds within a few days for canceled flights and “significant” delays.
Under current regulations, airlines decide how long a delay must last before triggering refunds. The administration is removing that wiggle room by defining a significant delay as lasting at least three hours for domestic flights and six hours for international ones.
Airlines still will be allowed to offer another flight or a travel credit instead, but consumers can reject the offer.
The rule will also apply to refunds of checked-bag fees if the bag isn’t delivered within 12 hours for domestic flights or 15 to 30 hours for international flights. And it will apply to fees for things such as seat selection or an internet connection if the airline fails to provide the service.
Complaints about refunds skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, as airlines canceled flights and, even when they didn't, many people didn't feel safe sharing a plane cabin with other passengers.
Airlines for America, a trade group for large U.S. carriers, noted that refund complaints to the Transportation Department have fallen sharply since mid-2020. A spokesperson for the group said airlines “offer a range of options — including fully refundable fares — to increase accessibility to air travel and to help customers make ticket selections that best fit their needs.”
The group said the 11 largest U.S. airlines issued $43 billion in customer refunds from 2020 through 2023.
The Transportation Department issued a separate rule requiring airlines and ticket agents to disclose upfront what they charge for checked and carry-on bags and canceling or changing a reservation. On airline websites, the fees must be shown the first time customers see a price and schedule.
The rule will also oblige airlines to tell passengers they have a guaranteed seat they are not required to pay extra for, although it does not bar airlines from charging people to choose specific seats. Many airlines now charge extra for certain spots, including exit-row seats and those near the front of the cabin.
The agency said the rule will save consumers more than $500 million a year.
Airlines for America said its members “offer transparency and vast choice to consumers” from their first search.
The new rules will take effect over the next two years. They are part of a broad administration attack on what President Joe Biden calls “junk fees.” Last week, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced that his department will let state officials in 15 states help enforce federal airline consumer protection laws.
FILE - Passenger drop off their baggage at United Airlines in C Terminal at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, in Houston. The Biden administration issued final rules Wednesday, April 24, 2024, to require airlines to automatically issue cash refunds for things like delayed flights and to better disclose fees for baggage or canceling a reservation. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP, File)
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — There are no shortage of storylines for this Florida-Boston rematch.
There’s the Panthers, trying to move another step closer toward a return to the Stanley Cup Final. There’s the Bruins, looking to avenge a shocking upset in a Round 1 series last season. The rested Panthers having just gotten a few days off, the razor-sharp Bruins rolling in after a Game 7 overtime win over Toronto.
Florida coach Paul Maurice summed it all up succinctly.
“None of that matters when the puck drops," Maurice said.
He’s probably right. A second-round series between the Panthers and Bruins starts Monday night in South Florida, the two best teams in the Atlantic Division squaring off with a trip to the NHL’s final four on the line. Florida rallied from a 3-1 deficit to stun Boston in Round 1 a year ago, and the Bruins needed to exorcise those Game 7 overtime demons on Saturday night to beat Toronto and keep their season alive.
“We’re a better team for what we just went through,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said Saturday night after Boston’s 2-1 win over Toronto. “Now we know what it takes to push through.”
The Panthers have home-ice advantage because they won the Atlantic Division, even though Boston spent the overwhelming majority of the season in first place. Florida passed the Bruins on the final day of the regular season for both clubs.
But the way Boston sees it, surviving the Round 1 test against Toronto delivered a needed edge.
“It’s resilience. It’s mental toughness. It’s belief in one another,” Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy said. “When we needed it the most in the biggest game of the year, we got it. And I think our group can take a lot from that.”
Florida watched the Boston-Toronto series knowing either way, it’d be a rematch — the Panthers beat Boston in Round 1 and Toronto in Round 2 last year. Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said he expected to see Boston, and the Bruins proved him right.
Florida has been off for a week since ousting Tampa Bay in Round 1.
“I personally love it,” Tkachuk said. “It feels like we’re just about to start playoffs now. That break was really good for us.”
Florida is in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive year. The only other teams that can say that are Carolina and Edmonton.
Dallas beat Vegas on Sunday night to make Round 2 for the second straight year. None of the other four teams in the second round this season — Boston, the New York Rangers, Colorado and Vancouver — made Round 2 last season.
Boston went 4-0-0 vs. Florida this season, winning two of those games in overtime. The Bruins were one of four teams — and the only from the Eastern Conference — to beat the Panthers in every meeting this season, joining Vancouver, Minnesota and Winnipeg.
Bruins goalies Jeremy Swayman (3.00, .857 in one game) and Linus Ullmark (1.62, .947 in three games) combined to stop 108 of 116 Florida shots. Sergei Bobrovsky was in net for all four games for Florida, giving up 13 goals on 101 shots (3.24, .871).
Game 2 is in Sunrise on Wednesday and Game 3 is at Boston on Friday — which led to the switching of a Tim McGraw concert. He’ll now play at TD Garden on Wednesday.
A good sign for the Bruins: Teams that win a Game 7 in overtime have gone on to win their next series 16 out of 21 times since 2003.
The most recent team to use a Game 7 OT victory as a springboard to next-round success was Florida — which beat Boston in Game 7 of Round 1 last year and wound up going all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.
Boston had four previous Game 7 overtime wins before Saturday. The Bruins went on to win the next series three of those times (1939, 2011, 2013) and lost the next series once (1983).
Power plays weren’t exactly powerful in the Bruins-Panthers regular-season series. Boston went 2 for 13 with the man advantage and Florida went 0 for 11.
The Panthers were worse on the power play against only one opponent this season. They were 0 for 17 against Toronto, the team that Boston defeated to get into Round 2 against Florida.
Florida had the second-most shots on goal in the NHL this season. But the Bruins find a way better than anyone else to bottle up the Panthers.
Boston allowed Florida an average of 29 shots on goal per game. The only team in the NHL to allow Florida a lower average this season was Philadelphia, which held the Panthers to 22 shots per contest in their three matchups.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery cheers after a goal by center Trent Frederic (11) during the first period of Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series agains the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Fans celebrate after the Boston Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime during Game 7 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov (16) and left wing Matthew Tkachuk, left, congratulate center Carter Verhaeghe (23) after Verhaeghe scored a goal during the third period of Game 5 of the first-round of an NHL Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
