Airfare Refunds Hinge on Whether Carrier or Flyer Cancels First

As Covid-19 cases began exploding last month, Quinton Martins thought he was doing the prudent thing by canceling a flight to Mexico for a planned vacation with his wife and daughter.

But the Northern California man didn’t realize that by doing so he gave up the right to a refund from Alaska Air Group Inc. -- even though taking the trip next week would require his family to violate their state’s stay-at-home order and a federal recommendation to avoid foreign travel.

While the U.S. Department of Transportation sternly admonished airlines to refund fares for canceled flights, people such as the ...