Beanhand Plain-English help for airline refunds

Next steps

If the refund does not arrive

These are public steps other people use. They are not a plan for your case. Beanhand does not contact the airline, DOT, or your card issuer.

Last verified: November 10, 2026.

How these sources were checked

Checked November 10, 2026. The eCFR, Federal Register, CFPB, and the December 2024 DOT small-entity guide were opened directly. transportation.gov blocked a direct request from the network used for this check, so the DOT consumer pages were read from Internet Archive captures: the Refunds page as archived on November 2, 2026 (the page itself says it was last updated November 7, 2025), and the complaint pages as archived on May 8, 2026 (those pages say they were last updated August 1, 2025). The live DOT page controls if it has changed since the capture. The eCFR is not the official legal edition of the Code of Federal Regulations.

1. Ask the company that charged you, in writing

DOT’s complaint page says to give the airline a chance to resolve the problem before you contact DOT. Airlines have to say on their websites how to submit a complaint. There may be a form. You can also write or email the consumer office.

14 CFR 259.7(c) says each carrier covered by that part acknowledges a written complaint about its scheduled service within 30 days and sends a substantive written response within 60 days. Part 259 applies to the carriers described in 14 CFR 259.2, generally those operating aircraft designed for 30 or more seats. DOT’s complaint-process page also says disability-related complaints get a written response within 30 days. Read that page for DOT’s description; this site does not restate a separate disability rule.

Keep a copy of what you sent and any reply. The letter tool can draft the request from details you type. You still send it.

Who you ask can depend on the charge. For the ticket, the merchant of record (the name on your card statement) is the starting point described on the rules page. For a bag fee or another optional fee charged by a ticket agent, DOT says to ask the airline.

2. File a complaint with DOT

If you are not satisfied, use DOT’s own page: File a Consumer Complaint. DOT’s complaint-process page says you can file through its online form. In the May 8, 2026 archive of that page, the words “online form” linked to https://airconsumer.dot.gov/consumer/s/oacp-form. If that address does not open, start from the File a Consumer Complaint page.

DOT’s complaint-process page asks you to include, when you write:

By mail, that page and the File a Consumer Complaint page use this address:

Office of Aviation Consumer Protection
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590

DOT describes what it will and will not do:

Safety complaints go to the FAA, and security complaints go to the TSA. DOT’s File a Consumer Complaint page explains that split and lists TSA’s toll-free number, 1-866-289-9673. Use the DOT page for the current instruction.

For a disability-related problem at the airport, the complaint-process page says you can ask for the airline’s Complaint Resolution Official, and it lists DOT’s disability hotline at 1-800-778-4838, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.

The same DOT page notes that private legal action, including small claims court, may be another path. It does not say that path fits every refund. This site does not explain how to sue.

3. Ask your card issuer, as a separate step

A dispute with the bank or card company that issued your card is not a DOT complaint. Beanhand does not start one and does not know how your issuer will decide. Card-network “chargeback” codes and debit-card timelines differ by issuer and network. This page does not restate those codes. Read the agreement for your card and the issuer’s dispute instructions.

For credit cards, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s guide is How do I dispute a charge on my credit card bill? CFPB says to call the card company, and that protecting billing-error rights also means sending a written billing-error notice within 60 calendar days after the charge appeared on your statement. Keep a copy. CFPB says the company then has 30 days to acknowledge the dispute unless it has already finished the required steps, and you can still dispute a charge you already paid.

The matching rule is 12 CFR 1026.13. It says the creditor mails or delivers a written acknowledgment within 30 days of receiving a billing-error notice, unless it has already resolved the matter, and completes the resolution steps within two complete billing cycles and no later than 90 days after receiving the notice.

One kind of billing error in 12 CFR 1026.13(a)(3) is a charge, shown on the statement, for property or services that were not accepted or not delivered as agreed. Whether a particular airline charge fits that sentence is a decision in the issuer’s process, not a conclusion this site can make. CFPB also notes that a different dispute process may apply if you used a credit card for goods or services that turn out to be defective. Read that note on the CFPB page before you decide which process to use.

The written notice CFPB describes generally needs your name and account information and a clear explanation of what you think is wrong. Your statement has the address for billing disputes, which may differ from the payment address. Use the instructions on your own statement.

Sources for this page

Last verified: November 10, 2026.