I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1233 
To provide for cash refunds for canceled airline flights and tickets. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 28, 2023 
Mr. COHEN (for himself and Mr. RASKIN) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and 
in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee con-
cerned 
A BILL 
To provide for cash refunds for canceled airline flights and 
tickets. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Cash Refunds for 
Flight Cancellations Act of 2023’’. 
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SEC. 2. CASH REFUNDS FOR CANCELED AIRLINE FLIGHTS 
AND TICKETS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 417 of title 49, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 41727. CASH REFUNDS FOR CANCELED AIRLINE 
FLIGHTS AND TICKETS. 
‘‘(a) CASH REFUNDS.— 
‘‘(1) REQUIREMENT.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), a covered carrier or ticket agent who 
sells a ticket for a passenger to take a covered 
flight, and either such flight is canceled or sig-
nificantly delayed (as defined by the Secretary 
of Transportation) by the covered carrier or 
such ticket is canceled by the passenger at least 
48 hours before the scheduled departure of the 
flight, shall offer the passenger a full cash re-
fund for such ticket, including any ancillary 
fees paid, within 30 days of the passenger mak-
ing the request. 
‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—A covered carrier or 
ticket agent shall only be required to offer a 
cash refund under subparagraph (A) for 1 
flight booked by a passenger on any city-pair 
itinerary on any given date. 
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‘‘(2) ALTERNATIVE FORM OF COMPENSATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A covered carrier or 
ticket agent may offer an alternative form of 
compensation determined appropriate by the 
covered carrier or ticket agent, including a 
credit, a voucher, or other mechanism to com-
pensate a passenger, provided that any such 
offer includes a clear and conspicuous notice of 
a passenger’s right to a cash refund under 
paragraph (1). 
‘‘(B) NO
EXPIRATION
DATE.—An alter-
native form of compensation provided pursuant 
to subparagraph (A) shall remain valid and re-
deemable by the passenger indefinitely. 
‘‘(3) RETROACTIVE REFUNDS.—In the case of a 
passenger who— 
‘‘(A) received an alternative form of com-
pensation during the period beginning on 
March 1, 2020, and ending on the day prior to 
the date of enactment of this Act for a covered 
flight or ticket for a covered flight canceled by 
the covered carrier or by the passenger; and 
‘‘(B) has not fully used such alternative 
compensation, 
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such passenger may request a cash refund to replace 
the alternative compensation, or the remaining alter-
native compensation if the passenger has used part 
of the alternative compensation, and the covered car-
rier or ticket agent shall comply with such request 
within 30 days of receiving such request. 
‘‘(4) REIMBURSEMENT TO TICKET AGENT.—A 
ticket agent who provides a cash refund to a pas-
senger under this section, including a retroactive re-
fund under paragraph (3), shall be entitled to 
prompt reimbursement from any covered carrier for 
the portion of the ticket price paid to that carrier. 
‘‘(b) FUNDING.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), a 
covered carrier or ticket agent may use amounts ap-
propriated or otherwise made available to the com-
mercial airline industry in any appropriations en-
acted on or after March 1, 2020, in response to 
COVID–19 to pay for the cash refunds under sub-
section (a), including retroactive refunds under para-
graph (3) of such subsection. 
‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—A covered carrier may not 
use amounts appropriated under section 4112 of the 
Coronavirus Economic Stabilization Act of 2020 
(title IV of division A of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, 
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and Economic Security Act (Public Law 116–136)) 
to pay for the cash refunds under subsection (a), in-
cluding retroactive refunds under paragraph (3) of 
such subsection. 
‘‘(c) DISCLOSURE.— 
‘‘(1) PRIOR TO PURCHASE.—Prior to the sale of 
a ticket for passenger to take a covered flight, a cov-
ered carrier or ticket agent shall disclose, in writing 
in written or electronic communication, that the pas-
senger has a right to cancel their ticket at any time 
for any reason and receive a full cash refund. 
‘‘(2) CANCELLED OR SIGNIFICANTLY DELAYED 
FLIGHT.—In the case of a covered carrier or ticket 
agent who sells a ticket for a passenger to take a 
covered flight, if such flight is canceled or signifi-
cantly delayed (as defined by the Secretary of 
Transportation) by the covered carrier or such ticket 
is canceled by the passenger at least 48 hours before 
the scheduled departure of the flight, the covered 
carrier or ticket agent shall disclose, in writing in 
written or electronic communication, that the pas-
senger has a right to receive a full cash refund for 
their ticket. 
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‘‘(3) REQUIREMENTS
FOR
DISCLOSURE.—Any 
written or electronic disclosure under paragraph (1) 
or (2) shall be in a clear and conspicuous format. 
‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) AIR
CARRIER, FOREIGN
AIR
CARRIER, 
TICKET AGENT, AND UNITED STATES.—The terms 
‘air carrier, foreign air carrier, ticket agent, and 
United States’ have the meanings given those terms 
in section 40102. 
‘‘(2) COVERED
CARRIER.—The term ‘covered 
carrier’ means— 
‘‘(A) any passenger air carrier that had an 
operating revenue in 2018 that exceeded 
$1,500,000,000 according to the Bureau of 
Transportation Statistics; or 
‘‘(B) any passenger foreign air carrier op-
erating a flight to or from the United States. 
‘‘(3) COVERED
FLIGHT.—The term ‘covered 
flight’ means a flight of a covered carrier that is 
scheduled to depart from, or arrive at, an airport lo-
cated in the United States.’’. 
(b) ENFORCEMENT.—Section 46301 of title 49, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection: 
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‘‘(j) PENALTIES RELATING TO CASH REFUNDS FOR 
CANCELED AIRLINE FLIGHTS AND TICKETS.—An air car-
rier or ticket agent that violates section 41727 shall be 
liable to the Government for a civil penalty of $1,000 for 
each violation.’’. 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap-
ter 417 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘41727. Cash refunds for canceled airline flights and tickets.’’. 
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall take effect on the date of the enactment 
of this Act. 
Æ 
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