DOT temporarily suspends Biden rule requiring refunds for renumbering flights

The Department of Transportation (DOT) announced Friday that it decided to temporarily pause all refund obligations when airlines change flight numbers, thus relaxing a rule that treats renumbered flights as cancellations that warrant refunds for passengers. Also, the DOT said that, effective immediately, it will waive refund requirements when a flight is renumbered as long as the passenger is able to be re-accommodated on the flight with the new number and the flight is operated without any "significant change or delay."

The announcement follows an April review that sought to limit the burden on airlines for operational or commercial changes that do not seriously affect passengers. The agency received a request for enforcement discretion from two U.S. airlines following their merger, in which the airlines described the need to renumber tens of thousands of flights for operational integration and compliance with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The DOT concluded that passengers were not harmed by the renumbering and decided to grant the request.

The agency's decision thus breaks with a rule established by the Democratic Administration of former President Joe Biden, which mandated in 2024 that all flights assigned a different number than when the consumer purchased the ticket would officially be considered new flights, thus making the original flight not only considered canceled but also eligible for a refund.