Record-breaking holiday rush: What you need to know about Thanksgiving travel
Almost 80 million Americans are heading somewhere for turkey-day celebrations this year. New travel rules make it easier to get money back when flights dont go as planned
This turkey-day season Pete Buttigieg points out that weʼre about to see record-breaking travel numbers across the US. Around 80-million folks (thats a jump of nearly 2-million from last turkey-day) plan to go somewhere at least 50-miles from home
The sky-high number of travelers means airports gonna be packed with long lines security-checks and possible flight issues. But heres some good news: brand-new rules make getting your money back way easier when things go wrong (these rules kicked-in just last month)
- You get auto-refunds for big delays without extra paperwork
- Three-hour-plus waits on local flights mean money back
- Six-hour-plus delays on overseas trips qualify too
- Different rules apply for weather vs staff problems
John Breyault from National Consumers League says: “Now if theres snow in Chicago and your dinner plans are ruined airlines must give refunds right away; no extra steps needed“
Pro-tip from Teresa Murray at US Public Interest Group: “Keep your phone on and get airline apps; missing their messages means its on you.“ Check FlightRights.gov to see what each airline promises when delays happen; but remember being nice to staff works better than getting mad at them
