# 119-s-5446: Cash Refunds for Flight Cancellations Act

119-s-5446, Cash Refunds for Flight Cancellations Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-04).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5446
- As of: 2026-10-04
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5446
- Congress: 119
- Title: Cash Refunds for Flight Cancellations Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-09-22
- Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA)
- Cosponsors: 8
- Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-04

## Summary

**Mandatory cash refunds** for canceled or significantly delayed U.S. flights, with clear timelines, disclosure duties, and penalties to ensure passengers can get money back instead of being forced into vouchers. - Travelers: Passengers get full cash refunds, including taxes and fees, when they reject or do not accept a canceled or significantly changed flight. Credit card refunds must arrive within 7 business days and cash or other refunds within 20 days. - Passenger cancellations and vouchers: If a passenger cancels a ticket at least 48 hours before departure they must be offered a full cash refund and receive it within 30 days. Vouchers or credits can be offered only with clear notice and must be redeemable at any time with no expiration. - Carriers and ticket agents: The law targets large U.S. carriers (starting threshold $1.5 billion in prior-year revenue) and all foreign carriers. The Secretary must issue a rule within 1 year to apply these refund rules to ticket agents and carriers face civil penalties for violations.

## Cosponsors (8)

- Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA), 2026-09-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-09-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-09-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT), 2026-09-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT), 2026-09-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] (D-NY), 2026-09-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] (D-NY), 2026-09-22T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] (D-RI), 2026-09-22T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Cash refunds for cancelled or late flights: benefit, high. This bill would require airlines to give a full cash refund, including taxes and any fees, when they cancel a flight or a flight is significantly changed or delayed and you refuse to fly, to be rebooked, or to accept noncash compensation. If you paid by credit card, refunds would be issued within 7…
- Which airlines must give refunds: benefit, high. This bill would cover passenger airlines with more than $1.5 billion in operating revenue last year and would cover any foreign passenger airline that flies to or from the United States. Starting in 2028, the $1.5 billion threshold for U.S. carriers would rise each year by the annual percent change…
- Apply refund rules to ticket agents: benefit, medium. This bill would require the Transportation Secretary to issue a final rule within one year to make ticket agents follow the same refund and notice rules as airlines. The Secretary would also be able to require airlines to promptly transfer funds to a ticket agent when the Secretary finds the agent…
- Fines for breaking refund rules: mixed, medium. This bill would make violations of the refund and related requirements subject to civil penalties under existing FAA civil-penalty authority. That would raise the enforcement risk for airlines and ticket agents and could encourage better compliance, but it also means carriers and agents could face…

## Related bills

- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act
- 119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5446 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5446)

## Related
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-2763: Keep Billionaires Out of Social Security Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2763)
- [119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3869)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5446 (as of 2026-10-04).