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Elliott Report

Elliott Report

  • Home
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FLIGHT COMPENSATION

Rhonda Bryant’s trip to San Francisco was ruined when American Airlines canceled her connecting flight. Despite a new federal rule requiring automatic refunds, she spent nearly seven months chasing down $403 the airline withheld. Her case reveals how major carriers sidestep refund rules—and what you must do when they do. From “trip in vain” policies to DOT complaints, here’s what travelers need to know when the refund isn’t automatic.

Are airline refunds automatic now? For this canceled American Airlines flight, they weren’t

October 27, 2025October 27, 2025 by Christopher Elliott

All Rhonda Bryant wanted was a refund for her airline ticket. She’d booked three tickets with American Airlines for a trip from Portland, Maine, to San Francisco. But when American canceled her connecting flight from Charlotte to San Francisco after hours of delays, her plans fell apart. 

Categories Advocacy
When an airline loses your luggage, does it have to fully refund your expenses? That's what Adam Hirsch would like to know after Swiss International Airlines lost his luggage on a flight from Los Angeles to Venice, Italy.

Swiss lost luggage problem: Can the airline only refund me for half my expenses?

March 24, 2025July 15, 2024 by Christopher Elliott

When an airline loses your luggage, does it have to fully refund your expenses? That’s what Adam Hirsch would like to know after Swiss International Airlines lost his luggage on a flight from Los Angeles to Venice, Italy.

Categories Advocacy
Robert Zuercher and his fiancee were flying from Cancun, Mexico, to Cleveland for a somber occasion. His grandmother had died, and they were attending her funeral. But they say Frontier Airlines added to their grief when they were kicked off their flight without explanation -- or compensation.

Kicked off my flight for being disruptive — does Frontier Airlines owe me anything?

September 7, 2025October 6, 2023 by Christopher Elliott

Robert Zuercher and his fiancee were flying from Cancun, Mexico, to Cleveland for a somber occasion. His grandmother had died, and they were attending her funeral. But they say Frontier Airlines added to their grief when they were kicked off their flight without explanation — or compensation.

Categories Popular, The Travel Troubleshooter

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