Airlines across the globe have been devastated by the coronavirus. Passenger volume at U.S. airports in mid-April was about 90 percent lower than normal, the TSA reports. At the start of the outbreak, domestic airlines were quick to waive some penalty fees for those who wanted to play it safe and cancel their tickets. Recently, many carriers extended their grace periods. At the end of this article, we report for each U.S. carrier its policy in effect on April 19, 2020.

While Checkbook and other consumer advocates give the industry credit for waiving change fees and extending the expiration windows, they remain disappointed with policies that make it difficult—or impossible—for ticketholders to get refunds, even when the airlines themselves cancel flights.

Ed Perkins, contributing editor at SmarterTravel.com, believes the airlines “deliberately dragged their feet on refunds” because it would have created a major cashflow problem for them.

“There's enough money tied up in advance purchase fares that it would be very difficult for many of these airlines to honor those commitments,” Perkins said.

In early April, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) responded to growing consumer complaints. The agency sent the airlines an enforcement notice reminding them they are required to provide a refund for a flight that is canceled or when they make a "significant schedule change" and the passenger chooses not to accept the alternative.

"In these situations, the airlines are required to refund all the money for the airfare and any ancillary fees—in other words, if you already paid to get an upgraded seat or pay for an extra bag—in cash," said Charlie Leocha, president and co-founder of the advocacy group Travelers United. “The DOT also said the airlines should contact anyone who had their arm twisted to take a credit when they were eligible for a refund to let them know they can get cash instead of keeping the credit."

The DOT’s order applies to both domestic and foreign airlines with service within, to, or from the U.S.

So, if you cancel the ticket, the most you can expect is a credit. If you cancel a non-refundable ticket—and the flight has not been canceled—you'll get hit with a steep cancellation fee if the airline isn’t waiving them for your flight. (Keep in mind that Southwest never did charge change fees.)

If you have a ticket for a future flight and would rather not travel, the smart move is to wait until the last minute to see if the airline cancels. If it does, you can get a full refund.

"If you wait and the airline cancels, it's good for you. If you cancel, you're going to lose," Leocha said.

Should the Airlines Do More?

Consumer advocates have long complained about the airline industry’s cancellation policies, but they are enraged at the industry’s response to the pandemic.  

“We are tremendously disappointed in the airlines,” said Bill McGee, aviation adviser for Consumer Reports. “Some are better than others, but we think as a whole, they have not responded properly.”

In the light of $25 billion government bailout of the nation’s airlines, Consumer Reports believes all ticketholders who cancel during the coronavirus outbreak are entitled to a refund, if they want one.

“One of the most basic tenets of contract law is: If you're not given the product or the service, then you deserve a refund. And in this case, many people are not getting refunds, they’re being offered vouchers—and that's unacceptable,” McGee said.

Keep in mind: Some people won’t be able to use a voucher for future travel or won’t want to fly for a long time. If the carrier goes bankrupt or shuts down–something that is not out of the question with a few domestic airlines and many foreign carriers—you’d be stuck with a worthless IOU.

Frustrated Consumers Vent

On April 9, Consumer Reports asked its members to share their stories about coronavirus airline refunds. In one week, more than 2,800 responses poured in. While some praised airlines for taking care of them. most were not happy with the way their situation was handled.

“We’re seeing a tremendous amount of anger towards the industry in these comments,” McGee told Checkbook. “People are saying the taxpayers just gave the airlines a huge infusion of their tax dollars and they can’t get a $350 refund for the flight they’re not going to take, and will never take because the event they were going to has been cancelled.”

This post from Kevin in Colorado, shows the frustration people are feeling: “…despite their public assurances that they're working with customers for timely refunds and so on … clearly they are stalling with our money. And, believe me, we need our money ... now more than ever. I have NOT gotten a huge bailout from the government. It's time the Airlines stopped treating customers this way, nickel-and-diming us shamefully during ‘normal’ times, and abusing our trust during this unprecedented time. It's time for us and for consumer groups to stand up to them.”

How do the airlines respond to this criticism? Checkbook contacted Airlines for America, a trade group that represents many of the major U.S. airlines, but did not get a response to our phone calls and emails.

It's Even More Challenging If You've Booked with a Travel Agent

Unfortunately, people who used a travel agent or travel website to book a trip are finding it difficult or impossible to get a refund for an unused airline ticket.

Travelers United posted a list of 18 international carriers, including Emirates, Lufthansa Group, and Scandinavian Airlines, that refuse to allow travel agents to request a refund for refundable tickets they purchase for their clients. The ticketholders must contact the carrier directly.

People who booked travel packages are also finding it difficult or impossible to get a refund for a trip they want to cancel because of the pandemic.

“We're hearing from people who are saying they called Expedia and Expedia told them to call the airline, so they called the airline and were told to call Expedia,” Consumer Reports’ McGee said. “That's unacceptable. We're in a crisis. People are out of work and they need money. This is unacceptable.”

If you find yourself in this situation, contact your credit card company and dispute the transaction. The federal Fair Credit Billing Act and policies of credit card companies give consumers enormous leverage over service providers when there are disputes. Your request to the credit card company needs to be done in writing; follow the instructions on your monthly statement. (According to the law, you have 60 days to file a “chargeback” request, but most credit card companies are more lenient than that timeframe.)

Fight for Your Rights

If you cancel tickets for an upcoming flight and you’re happy with a credit voucher for future travel without penalty fees, that’s your choice. Just be sure you know the terms and conditions for using that voucher.

Most U.S. carriers are now moving to eCredits, which can be used on one or more tickets in the future.

“That’s an improvement from where things stood at the start of this crisis,” said Steve Danishek, owner of TMA Travel in Seattle.

You can use your eCredits from Alaska, American, Delta, and United on one or more trips until the entire value of the credit is used, Danishek told Checkbook.

With Air Canada, on the other hand, if your new ticket fare is less than the credit, the residual value will be lost. So if the credit if for $400 and your new ticket is only $300, you’ll lose the residual value.

“Of course, any credit is moot if the airline or tour company files for bankruptcy protection or shuts down,” Danishek noted.

The bottom line: The current default for most of the domestic carriers is to give you an eCredit when they cancel a flight. If you prefer a refund you may need to fight for it.

If an airline cancels your flight, demand a full refund, not a credit. If you get pushback, ask to speak to a supervisor and if that doesn’t work file a complaint with the DOT.

“Even though the DOT doesn't look much into the specifics of an individual complaint, they definitely compile the numbers,” said Smarter Travel’s Perkins. “ And if you want to get the DOT to get off the dime and get going with something, the best way to do that is to develop a large number of complaints because DOT is responsive to that.”

UPDATE: On May 13, senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) announced the Cash Refunds for Coronavirus Cancellations Act of 2020. This legislation would require major airlines and third-party ticket sellers to offer full cash refunds for all cancelled tickets during the coronavirus pandemic, regardless of whether the airline cancelled an entire flight or the passenger cancelled their individual ticket.

What Airlines Are Offering If You Want to Cancel a Trip

Below are the current change and cancelation policies for U.S. carriers, as of April 19, 2020. Click on airline names to visit their web pages for updates and detailed info.

Alaska Airlines

• Tickets purchased before February 26, 2020 for travel occurring between March 9, 2020 and December 31, 2020 can be rebooked for up to one year from original travel date for no change fees. If you cancel your trip, you don’t get a refund; the airfare you paid is treated as a credit for a future trip.
• All new bookings made before May 31, 2020 for travel through April 30, 2021 are treated as flexible fares, allowing you to make free changes to your itinerary or cancel your trip and receive credit for a future flight. The credit expires after one year.

Allegiant Air

• Waiving all change fees for existing and new bookings. If you cancel your trip, you don’t get a refund; the airfare you paid is treated as a credit for a future trip. The credit expires two years after the date of travel for originally booked trip.

American Airlines

• Tickets purchased before May 31, 2020 for travel occurring between March 1 and September 30, 2020 can be rebooked until December 31, 2021 for no change fees. If you cancel your trip, you don’t get a refund; the airfare you paid is treated as a credit for a future trip.
• All new bookings made before May 31, 2020 are treated as flexible fares, allowing you to make free changes to your itinerary or cancel your trip and receive credit for a future flight. The credit expires after one year.

Delta Air Lines

• Tickets purchased for travel occurring between March 1 and September 30, 2020 can be rebooked until September 30, 2022 for no change fees. If you cancel your trip, you don’t get a refund; the airfare you paid is treated as a credit for a future trip.
• All new bookings made before May 31, 2020 are treated as flexible fares, allowing you to make free changes to your itinerary or cancel your trip and receive credit for a future flight. The credit expires after one year from the date of original purchase.

Frontier Airlines

• Tickets purchased from March 10, 2020 to April 15 can be rebooked once until April 30, 2021 for no change fees. If you cancel your trip, you don’t get a refund; the airfare you paid is treated as a credit for a future trip.
• Tickets purchased before March 10, 2020 for travel occurring between March 10, 2020 and April 30, 2020 can be rebooked once until April 11, 2021 for no change fees. If you cancel your trip, you don’t get a refund; the airfare you paid is treated as a credit for a future trip.

Hawaiian Airlines

• Tickets purchased before May 31, 2020 for travel occurring between March 1 and May 31, 2020 for travel occurring through December 31, 2020 can be rebooked for a future trip up to one year after original travel date for no change fees. If you cancel your trip, you don’t get a refund; the airfare you paid is treated as a credit for the future trip.
• All new bookings made before May 31, 2020 are treated as flexible fares, allowing you to make free changes to your itinerary or cancel your trip and receive credit for a future flight. The credit expires one year after original purchase date.

JetBlue Airways

• Tickets purchased for travel occurring through June 30, 2020 can be rebooked until January 4, 2021, for no change fees. If you cancel your trip, you don’t get a refund; the airfare you paid is treated as a credit for a future trip. The credit expires two years after its issue date.
• All new bookings made before April 30, 2020 for travel through January 4, 2021 are treated as flexible fares, allowing you to make free changes to your itinerary or cancel your trip and receive credit for a future flight.

Southwest Airlines

• Unlike the other airlines, Southwest does not charge change fees, allowing passengers to make free changes to their itineraries or cancel their trips and get credit for future flights up to one year from original dates of purchase.
• For customers with unused credits, Southwest is extending its expiration date to September 7, 2022.

Spirit Airlines

• All previously purchased tickets can be rebooked for no change fees. If you cancel your trip, you don’t get a refund; the airfare you paid is treated as a credit for a future trip. The credit expires one year after its issue date.

Sun Country Airlines

• Sun Country charges change fees only when customers rebook tickets within 60 days of travel. It is currently waiving its change fees for “qualified” tickets; to find out if your trip qualifies, retrieve your reservation using SunCountry.com. If you cancel your trip, you don’t get a refund; the airfare you paid is treated as a credit for a future trip. The credit expires one year after the date of travel for originally booked trip.

United Airlines

• Tickets purchased before March 2, 2020 for travel occurring between March 3 and May 31, 2020 can be rebooked for up to 24 months from original date of purchase for no change fees. If you cancel your trip, you don’t get a refund; the airfare you paid is treated as a credit for a future trip.
• Tickets purchased before March 2, 2020 for travel occurring between June 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 can be rebooked for up to 24 months from original date of purchase for no change fees. You must rebook or cancel your itinerary before April 30, 2020. If you cancel your trip, you don’t get a refund; the airfare you paid is treated as a credit for a future trip.
• All new bookings made before April 30, 2020 are treated as flexible fares, allowing you to make free changes to your itinerary or cancel your trip and receive credit for a future flight. The credit expires after one year.
   

Contributing editor Herb Weisbaum (“The ConsumerMan”) is an Emmy award-winning broadcaster and one of America's top consumer experts. He is also the consumer reporter for KOMO radio in Seattle. You can also find him on Facebook, Twitter, and at ConsumerMan.com.