New Travel Protections in Effect for Texas Airline Travelers

Thanks to the Department of Transportation, new travel protections are in effect for airline travelers in Texas for the 2024 holiday season.

The holiday season brings more travel for many people in East Texas—whether leaving Longview or Tyler, Texas, to go elsewhere or vice versa. And while that travel means more good times (hopefully) with loved ones, it can also be a little complicated with potential delays or, Heaven forbid, cancellations.

Nevertheless, millions of people will be traveling throughout the holiday season.

According to a story by WFAA, “airline expects 8.3 million customers system-wide during the Thanksgiving travel period. Of that number, 1.2 million are projected to pass through DFW” in Dallas, Texas.

So, with that many people planning to travel during the holidays, and increased risk of cancellations or at the very least, delays, it’s good to know the Department of Transportation’s new protections for airline passengers for the 2024 holiday season.

What new protections are in effect for Texans traveling by airplane during the holiday season?

Some of these protections mean air travelers can rebook flights at no charge, or where appropriate, get automatic refunds. If your flight has a delay of over three hours or six hours, for domestic or international flights, respectively, passengers will get automatic refunds. These refunds are now required to be given within seven days if the purchase was made with a credit card. If another payment was used, they must issue a refund within 20 days.

Let’s take a quick look at the protections outlined by the U.S. Department of Transportation:

You can see a more detailed list of protections and explanations, as well as take a look at what’s in progress now, at the U.S. Department of Transportation website here.