DALLAS — A new study reveals passengers would have been owed billions in 2023 for cancelled flights under the new Department of Transportation rule, and DFW passengers would have been owed the most.
Austin-based firm Upgraded Points released the study based on 2023 U.S. Bureau of Transportation airfare and flight data.
According to the study, 214,875 flights -- 3% of all domestic flights -- would have been affected by the new DOT rule, resulting in an estimated $5 billion in refunds.
That amount of refunds would have a sizeable impact on major airlines, including DFW-based American Airlines and Southwest.
If the new DOT rule was in place in 2023, American Airlines would have owed passengers $1.26 billion in refunds, and Southwest would have owed $497 million, per the study.
At the airport level, DFW flyers would have cashed in the most. The estimated refunds stemming from Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) surpassed $267.4 million.
Dallas Love Field (DAL) came in the No. 32 spot with potential refunds upwards of $36.1 million.
Here's the amounts passengers would have been owed by airport in 2023, per the study:
- Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) - $267,420,912
- Newark Liberty International (EWR) - $200,819,761
- Denver International (DEN) - $198,667,366
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) - $189,791,033
- Chicago O'Hare International (ORD) - $174,490,908
- John F. Kennedy International (JFK) - $167,969,530
- Orlando International (MCO) - $141,556,101
- LaGuardia (LGA) - $134,276,743
- Los Angeles International (LAX) - $132,796,090
- Charlotte Douglas International (CLT) - $125,355,447
Here's a list of the amounts airlines would have owed passengers in 2023, per the study:
- United - $1,328,225,157
- American - $1,269,940,427
- Delta - $1,089,703,197
- Southwest - $497,603,623
- JetBlue - $392,106,644
- Alaska - $167,300,736
- Spirit - $160,437,298
- Frontier - $114,320,030
- Allegiant Air - $49,995,531
- Hawaiian - $39,673,255
