Section 399.80 - [Effective 6/25/2024] [Effective until 7/1/2024] Unfair and deceptive practices of ticket agentsIt is the policy of the Department to regard as an unfair or deceptive practice or unfair method of competition the practices enumerated in paragraphs (a) through (n) of this section by a ticket agent of any size and the practice enumerated in paragraph (s) by a ticket agent that sells air transportation online and is not considered a small business under the Small Business Administration's size standards set forth in 13 CFR 121.201 :
(a) Misrepresentations which may induce members of the public to believe that the ticket agent is an air carrier.(b) Using or displaying or permitting or suffering to be used or displayed the name, trade name, slogan or any abbreviation thereof, of the ticket agent, in advertisements, on or in places of business, or on aircraft in connection with the name of an air carrier with whom it does business, in such manner that it may mislead or confuse the traveling public with respect to the agency status of the ticket agent.(c) Misrepresentations as to the quality or kind of service, type or size of aircraft, time of departure or arrival, points served, route to be flown, stops to be made, or total trip-time from point of departure to destination.(d) Misrepresentation as to qualifications of pilots or safety record or certification of pilots, aircraft or air carriers.(e) Misrepresentations that passengers are directly insured when they are not so insured; for example, where the only insurance in force is that protecting the air carrier in event of liability.(f) Misrepresentations as to fares and charges for air transportation or services in connection therewith.(g) Misrepresentation that special discounts or reductions are available, when such discounts or reductions are not specific in the lawful tariffs of the air carrier which is to perform the transportation.(i) Misrepresentations that special priorities for reservations are available when such special considerations are not in fact granted to members of the public generally.(j) Selling air transportation to persons on a reservation or charter basis for specified space, flight, or time, or representing that such definite reservation or charter is or will be available or has been arranged, without a binding commitment with an air carrier for the furnishing of such definite reservation or charter as represented or sold.(k) Selling or issuing tickets or other documents to passengers to be exchanged or used for air transportation knowing or having reason to know or believe that such tickets or other documents will not be or cannot be legally honored by air carriers for air transportation.(l) Failing to make a prompt refund of airfare (including all government-imposed taxes and fees and all mandatory carrier-imposed charges) to a consumer, upon request, for a cancelled flight or a significantly changed flight itinerary if the consumer chooses not to travel or accept compensation in lieu of a refund in situations described in 14 CFR 260.6(b)(1) through (6) and 14 CFR 260.6(c)(1) through (3) when the ticket agent is the merchant of record. Failing to provide a prompt refund of airfare (including all government-imposed taxes and fees and all mandatory carrier imposed charges), upon request, for a significantly changed flight itinerary to consumers on the same reservation as an individual with a disability who does not want to continue travel because of a significant change described in paragraph (l)(1)(vii)(E) of this section related to downgrades or paragraph (l)(1)(vii)(G) of this section related to aircraft substitution which result in one or more accessibility features needed by the individual with a disability becoming unavailable or because of the significant change described in paragraph (l)(1)(vii)(F) of this section related to change in connecting airports. A prompt refund is one that is made within 7 business days of the ticket agent receiving information from a carrier as specified in 14 CFR 260.6(f), as required by 12 CFR part 1026 for credit card purchases, and within 20 calendar days of refund becoming due for cash, check, debit card, or other forms of purchases. Ticket agents must provide the refunds in the original form of payment (i.e., money is returned to individual using whatever payment method the individual used to make the original payment, such as a check, a credit card, a debit card, cash, or airline miles), unless the consumer agrees to receive the refund in another form of payment that is cash equivalent. A ticket agent may retain a service fee charged when issuing the original ticket to the extent that service is for more than processing payment for a flight that the consumer found. That fee must be on a per-passenger basis and its existence, amount, and the non-refundable nature if that is the case must be clearly and prominently disclosed to consumers at the time they purchase the airfare. Ticket agents may offer alternative transportation, travel credits, vouchers, or other compensation in lieu of refunds, but must first inform consumers that they are entitled to a refund if that is the case. Ticket agents must clearly disclose any material restrictions, conditions, and limitations on travel credits, vouchers, or other compensation they offer. (1) For purposes of paragraph (l) of this section, the following definitions apply:(i)Business days means Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays in the United States.(ii)Cancelled flight or cancellation means a flight with a specific flight number scheduled to be operated between a specific origin-destination city pair that was published in a carrier's Computer Reservation System at the time of the ticket sale but was not operated by the carrier.(iii)Cash equivalent means a form of payment that can be used like cash, including but not limited to a check, a prepaid card, funds transferred to the passenger's bank account, funds provided through digital payment methods (e.g., PayPal, Venmo), or a gift card that is widely accepted in commerce. It is not cash equivalent if consumers bear the burden for maintenance or usage fees related to the payment.(iv)Class of service means seating in the same cabin class such as First, Business, Premium Economy, or Economy class, which is defined based on seat location in the aircraft and seat characteristics such as width, seat recline angles, or pitch (including the amount of legroom).(v)Covered flight means a scheduled flight to, from, or within the United States.(vi)Merchant of record means the entity responsible for processing payments by consumers for airfare, as shown in the consumer's financial charge statements such as debit or credit card charge statements.(vii)Significant change of flight itinerary or significantly changed flight means a change to a flight itinerary consisting of covered flight(s) made by a U.S. or foreign carrier where:(A) The consumer is scheduled to depart from the origination airport three hours or more for domestic itineraries and six hours or more for international itineraries earlier than the original scheduled departure time;(B) The consumer is scheduled to arrive at the destination airport three hours or more for domestic itineraries or six hours or more for international itineraries later than the original scheduled arrival time;(C) The consumer is scheduled to depart from a different origination airport or arrive at a different destination airport;(D) The consumer is scheduled to travel on an itinerary with more connection points than that of the original itinerary;(E) The consumer is downgraded to a lower class of service;(F) The consumer with a disability is scheduled to travel through one or more connecting airports that are different from the original itinerary; or(G) The consumer with a disability is scheduled to travel on substitute aircraft on which one or more accessibility features needed by the passenger are unavailable.(m) Misrepresentations regarding the handling, forwarding or routing of baggage or other property, or the loss or tracing thereof, or failing or refusing to honor proper claims for loss of or damage to baggage or other property.(n) Misrepresentation as to the requirements that must be met by persons or organizations in order to qualify for charter or group fare flights.(s) Failing to disclose and offer Web-based discount fares on or after June 10, 2014, to prospective passengers who contact the agent through other channels (e.g., by telephone or in the agent's place of business) and indicate they are unable to use the agent's Web site due to a disability.PS-21, 29 FR 1446, Jan. 29, 1964, as amended at 78 FR 67916, Nov. 12, 2013; Docket No. DOT-OST-2014-0056, 81 FR 76829, Nov. 3, 2016; Doc. No. DOT-OST-2014-0140, 84 FR 15947, Apr. 16, 2019 81 FR 76829, 12/5/2016; 84 FR 15947, 5/16/2019; 89 FR 32838, 6/25/2024