GREENSBORO, N.C. — The jump in the number of complaints about US Airlines is extreme. In 2019, passengers made a little more than 1,500 complaints to the DOT about airline travel. But in 2020, the number of complaints jumped to more than 89,000.
A lot of flights were canceled by the airlines, but more flights were canceled by passengers, and those passengers wanted refunds instead of vouchers. Add in the other frustration that those vouchers are now expiring.
Consumer Reports sent a letter to 10 US airlines calling on them to provide full refunds to all consumers whose flights were canceled or affected by COVID-19.
And this week, Senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal joined in sending letters to all major US airlines demanding flight credits, especially those issued during the pandemic to never expire.
“The airline should refund the price of their ticket. They're not doing that. The least they should do is extend the expiration date of that ticket. The airlines don't want to do that,” said Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts.
US airlines did give about $13 billion in refunds last year, they say that's up 72% from 2019, but there's still an estimated $10 billion in these flight vouchers, and again many are about to expire.
So, while lawmakers are putting pressure on the airlines, what do you do in the meantime?
“Ask for an extension, also see if you can get it converted like those at United Airlines. They have converted the vouchers to electronic travel tickets for 2 years to stretch it out. This also allows others to fly with your ticket, not just you,” said Donna Rosato of Consumer Reports.
Consumer Reports also suggest asking to turn your voucher into frequent flyer miles with your airline's reward program.