No, it would not be illegal. Many vendors do this, including Amazon and Fedex, But, the reality is that air carriers don't.

As to the broader issue, the length of the change is a red herring. The passenger's flight was cancelled and he was rerouted. The DOT rules from 2011, as made clear in the April 3 Warning Letter, are written in the alternative. Either a cancellation OR a significant change.

The best process is to file both a chargeback and DOT complaint. DOT does not enforce individual consumer complaints, but it does require that the carrier respond. There is no good response other than "we've issued a refund" so, in this situation, it is the way to go.

When filing a chargeback, make sure to include a copy of the e-ticket receipt, the notice of cancellation, the request for a refund, and the denial (or a note that there has been no response). DOT requires that refunds be initiated within 7 days, so hold your chargeback to the 8th day. The more complete and timely your package, the easier and faster the chargeback proces.

Frontier didnt even try to dispute the chargeback. It was found in my favor by default due to lack of response from the merchant.

whoops double post