Airline passenger rights during a week full of flight cancellations

EL PASO, Texas - The nation's airports have been hit with holiday travel chaos, as several major airlines have canceled or severely delayed thousands of flights nationwide.

Americans are traveling for the holidays in numbers not seen since before the pandemic, with nearly 113 million people traveling this holiday season, according to AAA. 

Under federal law, consumers are entitled to a refund if the airline cancels a flight, regardless of the reason, and the consumer chooses not to travel.

Consumers are also entitled to a refund if an airline made a significant schedule change or significant delays to a flight and the consumer chooses not to travel, according to the Department of Transportation