British Airways fined by the US government. The airline must prepare more than a million dollars

British Airways fined by the US Department of Transportation. The state fine applies to the period of the pandemic. The carrier will be responsible for flight cancellations.

US fined British Airways

The US Department of Transportation said it had imposed a $1.1 million fine on British Airways. The funds are used to compensate passengers who have filed complaints against the carrier. The Department has received over 1,200 complaints against British airlines.

The decision also states the reason for such a high fine. According to the US government, British Airways did not meet the refund deadlines for canceled flights. We are talking about the period of the pandemic, when air traffic around the world practically stopped. Interestingly, the carrier denies this accusation. According to the company, all actions taken in this case were “legitimate at all stages.”

There was no contact

Officials investigating the case say that from March to November 2020, contact with the British Airways branch responsible for ticket refunds was almost impossible. It didn’t work, i.e. phone line. The problem with the return also affected flights that were canceled or seriously delayed due to the fault of the carrier.

“During this period, it was also not possible to issue a refund through the carrier’s website” - read in the report of the Department of Transportation. The document also shows that misleading messages on the British Airways website led many customers to use vouchers for their next flight instead of receiving a cash refund. According to the US administration, such actions are also unacceptable, as they assume that this is the only way to return the money spent on the ticket.