Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar told Cheddar on Tuesday that Americans need cash from canceled flights to provide immediate relief, but airline executives have not responded to the call.
In a letter to 11 major airlines, nine Democratic senators, including Klobuchar, wrote "we believe your company has a moral responsibility to provide real refunds, not travel vouchers, to consumers, and to support State Department efforts to repatriate any American citizens trying to come home."
"We're waiting to hear back from them," Sen. Klobuchar said. "Obviously many of them have canceled fees and other things. Or they have proposed to give customers the ability to use it to buy another ticket in the future."
But with Congressional help, those senators think money should go back into the pockets of customers.
Klobuchar said "we think it is much more important to get the cash to the customer knowing that they're going to fly again when this is over" than to provide credits for travelers.
Last week, Congress passed a $2.2 trillion stimulus package that includes $25 billion in cash grants and $25 billion in loans to the airlines.
Her Democratic colleague Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote on Twitter "the airline industry got $25 billion to keep workers on payroll — but they're not the only ones hurting for money right now."
American Airlines said in a response that the "comprehensive travel waivers we've put in place are designed to meet the full range of our customers' needs."
Verizon Wireless said it plans to raise the prices of some of its plans.
Food service workers in Las Vegas are set to take to the Strip Thursday as they demand higher pay and better benefits.
GM President Mark Reuss joined Cheddar News to discuss the company's new Cadillac Escalade electric vehicle and talked about how to make affordable EVs for the general public. "That's who we are as a company -- we will offer vehicles for everybody and every different income level," he said.
Lauren Fix, automotive expert with 'The Car Coach,' spoke with Cheddar News to provide tips and advantages on buying a used vehicle. "You let somebody else take the depreciation, which is probably one of the best things ... you then move in at a two- or three-year-old vehicle that maybe was leased, and you can get some great values," she said.
Disney said it's increasing prices for its ad-free streaming services as the company is losing subscribers and also announced it planned to crack down on password-sharing. Cheddar News' Michelle Castillo broke down Disney's moves.
Lawrence Sprung, a certified financial planner and author of 'Financial Planning Made Personal' shares advice about how to teach kids to use credit wisely.
Disney is cracking down on password sharing for Disney+ users.
Tapestry, the parent company of luxury handbag Coach and Kate Spade, agreed to buy Capri Holdings, the owner of fashion brands including Michael Kors, Versace and Jimmy Choo.
Disney reported a mixed performance in its latest quarterly results.
Inflation in the United States edged up in July after 12 straight months of declines.
