According to the information released, Tap Air Portugal and four other foreign airlines will have to reimburse more than 580 million euros to passengers whose trips have been canceled or significantly delayed since the start of the pandemic.

The US Department of Transportation has also fined airlines more than 6.7 million euros for delaying refunds too long, in violation of consumer protection rules.

The largest U.S. airlines, which account for the majority of claims related to refunds, avoided fines and a federal official said no other U.S. carriers were being investigated for possible fines.

Consumers flooded the agency with thousands of complaints for not getting refunds when airlines canceled large numbers of flights after the pandemic hit the United States in early 2020. It was far from the first category of complaints.

“When Americans buy a ticket on an airline, they expect to reach our destination safely, reliably and economically, and our job is to hold airlines accountable to those expectations,” the Secretary of State said. Transport Pete Buttigieg.

According to this department, Frontier Airlines is responsible for 215 million euros in refunds and must pay a fine of 2.1 million.

Air India will pay 117.7 million euros in refunds and a fine of 1.3 million, Aeromexico 13.1 million euros and a fine of 872 thousand euros, El Al Israel will pay 59.9 million and 872 thousand and the Colombian Avianca 74.4 million refunds and more than 726 thousand euros in fines, said the Ministry of Transport.

“We have more enforcement actions and investigations going on and there could be more fines news,” Pete Buttigieg told reporters.

However, there will be no fines for other US airlines as they responded “shortly after” the Department of Transportation warned them in April 2020 of the requirement to be prompt with refunds, said Blane Workie of Airline Consumer Protection.

In 2020, United Airlines had the most refund claims – over 10,000. Air Canada, El Al and TAP Air Portugal were next on the list, all with over 5,000, followed by American Airlines and Frontier, both with over 4,000 complaints.

SO // SB