Ted Cruz Wants Airlines to Keep Your Cash When They Cancel Your Flight

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After the Biden administration issued a final rule last week that would require airlines to automatically refund passengers whose flights are delayed or canceled, four lawmakers funded by the airline industry introduced much-needed legislation that could undermine that effort .

As The Lever reported, the lawmakers – Senator Ted Cruz (Republican of Texas), Senator Maria Cantwell (Democrat of Washington), Representative Sam Graves (Republican of Missouri) and Representative Rick Larsen (Democrat of Washington) – introduced a new Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization agreement that would require passengers to send a “written or electronic request” in order to receive a full refund for a canceled or significantly delayed flight.

The publication notes that under this provision, “airlines would only have to refund to the subset of passengers who have the time and patience to go through a notoriously arduous refund process.” The current FAA authorization expires May 10.

The legislation comes after Cruz tried to pass a measure that would give lawmakers their own security escorts at airports. Despite being from a bright red state, Cruz once again faces a surprisingly competitive re-election campaign. Given that the junior two-term senator from Texas asked for donations on Fox News earlier this month while complaining that “Democrats are coming after me,” it’s no surprise that he tries to appease donors where he can.

The FAA’s reauthorization provision would erode the Biden administration’s promise to streamline the refund process for airline customers — which has become a bigger problem as airlines regularly sell tickets on flights that they do not have the capacity to exploit. “A number of airlines can’t meet their schedules,” United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said last year. “Customers pay the price. They cancel a lot of flights. But they just can’t keep to today’s schedules.”

In an announcement last week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said passengers “deserve to be reimbursed when an airline owes them – without the headaches or haggling,” adding that their rule “establishes a new standard to require airlines to provide cash refunds quickly.” to their passengers.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) criticized the measure Monday, write on that Congress’s “latest deal could mean travelers continue to bear the burden of airline incidents” and that it “would be a gift to airlines, which know many travelers won’t have the time or resources necessary to navigate bureaucracies.” process they designed. Warren added: “Congress should be protecting the rights of travelers, not lining the pockets of airline executives. »