The US Department of Transportation said this week that the airlines have paid more than $600 million in refunds to hundreds of thousands of passengers for cancelled or changed flights since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The development comes as airlines continue to struggle to keep up with a rapid rise in demand for travel via air.
For "extreme delays in providing refunds to passengers", the department is also issuing $7.25 million against six airlines, including Air India. The Tata-owned airline paid $121.5 million in required funds and a $1.4 million penalty.