New federal rules on airline refunds require cash instead of vouchers

(CNN) — Airline canceled your flight? The plane arrived hours late after a maintenance issue? The inflight Wi-Fi didn’t work?New federal rules say travelers deserve cash refunds when inconvenienced by their airline – not vouchers or travel credits.“From now on when your flight is canceled for any reason, you are entitled to an automatic cash refund and it has to be prompt,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told CNN’s John Berman on Wednesday.“If you get delayed significantly, that means three hours domestically, six hours internationally, or if there’s another significant change to your itinerary — like maybe you were going to go into one airport, they actually changed the airport on you or something like that — you’re going to get your money back.”The rules, announced by the Transportation Department on Wednesday, also require airlines to provide upfront information about fees for baggage and changing flights.Although many airlines have done away with change fees and disclose fees on their websites, Buttigieg estimated more transparency with some airlines and websites would make it easier for travelers to shop around – ultimately saving consumers millions every year.The rule would formalize the requirement he referred to that passengers receive refunds if a domestic flight...