Passengers for Southwest Airlines can now make an easy voucher request if their flight is delayed or significantly canceled due to the carrier.  As part of the Dallas airline’s $140 million settlement with the U.

The Transportation Department said this gives consumers clearer rights rather than making them rely on airlines to decide when compensation is owed

Southwest Airlines is now required to provide vouchers if any of its flights are canceled or delayed more than three hours due to a problem within the airline's control. This includes problems such as maintenance issues or staffing quandaries but not problems such as bad weather.

The Department of Transportation made it a requirement for Southwest to compensate customers for delays and cancelations after the airline's problems in 2022.

Many travelers found themselves essentially on their own as, stranded in faraway cities and spending hours on hold trying to reach a Southwest representative, they had to find their own accommodation and alternative transportation.

It's part of a deal reached after Southwest Airlines' 2022 "holiday meltdown that stranded millions of passengers across the country."