The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced that it is assessing a total of $2.5 million in civil penalties against three airlines for extreme delays in providing refunds they owed to passengers due to flights cancelled or significantly changed in response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

DOT announced enforcement actions against Lufthansa, South African Airways, and KLM Royal Dutch Airways.

Under the consent orders, the three airlines are required to provide timely refunds to passengers when owed and to pay a civil penalty to the U.S. Treasury.

The fine imposed by DOT is in addition to the more than $900 million in refunds airlines have paid back to passengers.

Lufthansa will have to pay $1.1 million in penalty. KLM is fined $1.1 million. A $300,000 penalty is imposed on South African Airways.

The enforcement actions are part of DOT’s ongoing work to ensure passengers are treated fairly by airlines, that has already resulted in the largest airline fines in the Department’s history and nearly $4 billion returned to passengers in refunds and reimbursements.

“When a flight is cancelled or significantly changed, you shouldn’t have to fight with the airline to get their money back—and we’re holding airlines accountable when they fail to give passengers the refunds that they’re owed,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

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