How two lawmakers are championing the elimination of expiration dates. 

This past week, two U.S. Senators wrote a letter to ten major airlines urging them to eliminate credit expirations for all would-be travelers currently holding Covid-related credit vouchers.

The letter, first shared on CNN, is a call for accountability after the federal government extended over $50 billion to airlines using taxpayers dollars. 

Senator Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal — two Democrats from Massachusetts and Connecticut, respectively— cite the airlines’ complex expiration and redemption policies, plus continuing travel restrictions, mean travelers “are now at risk of losing the billions of dollars they were effectively forced to loan to the airline industry interest-free.”

The letter continues: “Americans need cash in their pockets to pay for food, housing, and prescriptions during this emergency. Without removing expiration dates, your company may be encouraging travelers to fly before they feel safe boarding a plane, lest they lose tickets that they have already purchased with hard-earned dollars.”

The airlines contacted include Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines.​​​​​​

Last year, our hands were tied due to the very restrictions Markey and Blumenthal are challenging. Nearly 90 percent of the 107,000 complaints issued to the Department of Transportation were refund-related. We support the lawmakers who are championing the end of restrictive expiration dates to enable travelers to book with confidence. As your trusted travel advisors, we will be closely monitoring the airlines’ responses to keep you abreast of any policy change.