,,ii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #eddf ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #bb1 #bjbf,mr4 ,markey 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,warren1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,welch1 ,mr4 ,sanders1 ,mr4 ,schumer1 ,mrs4 ,gillibrand1 and ,mr4 ,whitehouse7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,to amend title #di1 ,united ,states ,code1 to provide refunds for cancelled or significantly delayed or changed flights1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,cash ,refunds for ,flight ,cancellations ,act4 #b4 ,refunds for cancelled or significantly delayed or changed flights 7a7 ,in general ,section #dbcje of title #di1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended to read as follows3 #dbcje4 ,cash refunds for cancelled or significantly delayed or changed flights 7a7 ,significant flight delays1 changes1 or cancellations by the carrier 7#a7 ,in general ,in the case of a passenger who holds a ticket on a scheduled flight to1 from1 or within the ,united ,states1 an air carrier or a foreign air carrier shall1 upon request as set forth in paragraph 7#c71 provide a full cash refund1 including any taxes and ancillary fees1 for the fare such carrier collected for any flight cancelled by the carrier or any significantly delayed or changed flight where the passenger chooses not to-- 7,a7 fly on the significantly delayed or changed flight or accept rebooking on an alternative flight2 or 7,b7 accept any voucher1 credit1 or other form of compensation offered by the air carrier or foreign air carrier pursuant to subsection 7c74 7#b7 ,timing of refund ,any refund required under paragraph 7#a7 shall be issued by the air carrier or foreign air carrier-- 7,a7 in the case of a ticket purchased with a credit card1 not later than #g business days after the earliest date the refund was requested as set forth in paragraph 7#c72 or 7,b7 in the case of a ticket purchased with cash or another form of payment1 not later than #bj days after the earliest date the refund was requested as set forth in paragraph 7#c74 7#c7 ,request of refund ,an air carrier and a foreign air carrier shall consider a passenger to have requested a refund if-- 7,a7 a flight is cancelled and a passenger is not offered an alternative flight or any voucher1 credit1 or other form of compensation by the air carrier or foreign air carrier pursuant to subsection 7c72 7,b7 a passenger rejects the significantly delayed or changed flight1 rebooking on an alternative flight1 or any voucher1 credit1 or other form of compensation offered by the air carrier or foreign air carrier pursuant to subsection 7c72 or 7,c7 a passenger does not respond to an offer of-- 7i7 a significantly delayed or changed flight or an alternative flight and the flight departs without the passenger2 or 7ii7 a voucher1 credit1 or other form of compensation by the date on which the cancelled flight was scheduled to depart or the date that the significantly delayed or changed flight departs4 7#d7 ,application to ticket agents 7,a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this section1 the ,secretary shall issue a final rule to apply the requirements specified in paragraphs 7#a71 7#b71 7#c71 and 7#e7 and subsection 7c7 to ticket agents4 7,b7 ,transfer of funds ,the ,secretary shall issue regulations requiring air carriers and foreign air carriers to promptly transfer funds to a ticket agent if-- 7i7 the ,secretary has determined that the ticket agent is responsible for providing the refund2 and 7ii7 the ticket agent does not possess the funds of the passenger4 7#e7 ,refund notification ,each air carrier1 foreign air carrier1 or ticket agent shall update their passenger notification systems to ensure passengers owed a refund under this subsection are notified of their right to receive a refund4 7b7 ,passenger flight cancellation 7#a7 ,in general ,in the event that a passenger cancels a ticket for a flight not later than #dh hours prior to the scheduled departure of the flight1 the covered carrier or ticket agent who sold such ticket to such passenger shall-- 7,a7 offer to the passenger a full cash refund for such ticket1 including any taxes and ancillary fees paid2 and 7,b7 provide such refund not later than #cj days after the date on which the passenger makes such cancellation4 7#b7 ,required disclosure ,prior to the sale of a ticket for a flight to a passenger1 a covered carrier or ticket agent shall disclose to the passenger1 in writing1 that the passenger has a right to cancel their ticket in accordance with paragraph 7#a7 and receive a full cash refund4 7c7 ,alternative to refund ,an air carrier or a foreign air carrier described in subsection 7a7 or a covered carrier or ticket agent described in subsection 7b7 may offer a voucher1 credit1 or other form of compensation as an explicit alternative to providing a refund required by subsection 7a7 or 7b71 but only if-- 7#a7 the offer includes a clear and conspicuous notice of-- 7,a7 the terms of the offer2 and 7,b7 the passenger's right to reject the offer and elect to receive a full cash refund in accordance with the requirements of this section2 and 7#b7 the voucher1 credit1 or other form of compensation offered as an alternative to providing a full cash refund is redeemable by the passenger at any time and without any expiration or use by date4 7d7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,air carrier1 foreign air carrier1 ticket agent1 and ,united ,states ,the terms air carrier1 foreign air carrier1 ticket agent1 and ,united ,states have the meanings given those terms in section #djajb4 7#b7 ,covered carrier 7,a7 ,in general ,the term covered carrier means-- 7i7 any passenger air carrier that had an operating revenue in the previous year that exceeded #a1ejj1jjj1jjj according to the ,bureau of ,transportation ,statistics2 or 7ii7 any passenger foreign air carrier operating a flight to or from the ,united ,states4 7,b7 ,inflation adjustment beginning in #bjbh ,for purposes of applying this paragraph in a year 7beginning in #bjbh71 the dollar amount specified in subparagraph 7,a77i7 shall be increased by the percentage increase 7if any7 in the consumer price index for all urban consumers 7,u4,s4 city average7 over the previous year4 7#c7 ,significantly delayed or changed flight defined ,the term significantly delayed or changed flight includes1 at a minimum1 a flight where the passenger arrives at a destination airport-- 7,a7 in the case of a domestic flight1 #c or more hours after the original scheduled arrival time2 and 7,b7 in the case of an international flight1 #f or more hours after the original scheduled arrival time4 7e7 ,penalties ,each violation by an air carrier1 foreign air carrier1 covered carrier1 or ticket agent of the requirements applicable to such carrier or ticket agent under this section shall be subject to a civil penalty under section #dfcja7;a74 4 7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the analysis for chapter #dbc of title #di1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended to read as follows3 ,sec4 #dbcje4 ,cash refunds for cancelled or significantly delayed or changed flights4 4