Biden, DOT aim to require airlines to compensate stranded passengers for meals, hotels, rebooking

Biden, DOT aim to require airlines to compensate stranded passengers for meals, hotels, rebooking



President Biden and Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced plans to require airlines to compensate stranded passengers for controllable flight cancellations and delays at a press briefing Monday afternoon.

"The airline industry is a key part of our economy," said President Joe Biden, noting that airlines had been "critical partners" by "requiring employees to get COVID vaccines."

"Our top priority has been to get American air travelers a better deal," Biden also said, adding that American taxpayers had put $50 billion into the industry during the Trump administration to keep it afloat at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.

Biden went on to provide some details on how the DOT's proposed rulemaking would benefit consumers. Though he mentioned covering taxi fare as part of the package, that particular detail is not mentioned in the DOT's announcement.

"When an airline causes a flight cancellation or delay, passengers should not foot the bill," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement prior to the press conference.

According to the agency's press release and newly expanded dashboard, few airlines currently provide passengers with compensation when passengers experience a delay or a cancellation caused by the airline.

The dashboard page provides three charts with green check marks and red Xs to indicate various airlines' commitments to fee-free family seating, controllable cancellations, and controllable delays. It is sortable by airline.

"This rule would, for the first time in U.S. history, propose to require airlines to compensate passengers and cover expenses such as meals, hotels, and rebooking in cases where the airline has caused a cancellation or significant delay," Secretary Buttigieg also said in the press release.

According to the DOT, the ten largest airlines now guarantee meals and free rebooking on the same airline. Nine guarantee hotel accommodations.

The proposed rulemaking would make passenger compensation and amenities mandatory "so that travelers are taken care of when airlines cause flight disruptions."

On top of the proposed rules, FlightRights.gov added a number of categories to its Airline Customer Service Dashboard to "give travelers more transparency about the types of compensation, if any, airlines currently guarantee when they are the cause of a cancellation or delay.

The newly added categories cover passengers who have to wait three or more hours for a flight from its scheduled departure time. Those categories include cash, travel credit/voucher, and frequent flyer miles.

What constitutes a "controllable cancellation or delay" will also be defined by the DOT in this rulemaking process.

Watch video below of today's press conference with President Joe Biden and Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg discussing proposed rulemaking that would mandate compensation for passengers whose flights are canceled or delayed.

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Department of Transportation launches online dashboard to help travelers navigate flight delays and cancellations



In response to massive numbers of flight cancellations and delays, the Department of Transportation announced a new online dashboard for travelers on Thursday.

The Associated Press reported that the dashboard would allow travelers to compare refunds and compensation offered by carriers for flight delays or cancellations. The online dashboard will provide users with information about which domestic airlines offer the best options to ensure a smoother travel experience.

"Throughout 2022, Americans have experienced an unacceptable level of flight delays and cancellations," stated a Thursday press release issued by the Department of Transportation.

An estimated 150,000 flights have been canceled so far this year, reported FlightAware's reporting system. In addition, approximately 21% of all scheduled flights this year had been delayed.

"The dashboard provides air travelers a one-stop location to obtain information on the services and amenities they should receive from airlines if they experience delays or cancellations caused by something within the airline's control like a mechanical or staffing issue," wrote the DOT.

The new tool is meant to give users more control over their travel experience and a transparent way to check airline policies. It displays the various major airlines and their "commitments for controllable cancellations." The dashboard shows which carriers will provide free rebooking options on the same or other airlines, a meal when a cancellation results in a significant delay, and hotel accommodations for canceled flights.

The dashboard is designed to protect customers from interruptions due to staffing shortages and mechanical issues. It does not include airline policies related to weather disruptions or other uncontrollable events.

The Department of Transportation expressed hope that the new dashboard will encourage domestic airlines to compete and provide superior service to travelers.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg put pressure on airlines to improve their customer service and provide reasonable solutions to the mass cancellations and delays plaguing traveler plans.

"Passengers deserve transparency and clarity on what to expect from an airline when there is a cancellation or disruption," said Buttigieg. "This dashboard collects that information in one place so travelers can easily understand their rights, compare airline practices, and make informed decisions. The Department will continue to support passengers and to hold airlines responsible for adhering to their customer obligations."

\u201cFor the first time, @USDOT is providing consumers with a comparative look at what the top airlines have committed to when your flight is canceled or delayed because of an airline issue.\u201d
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@Secretary Pete Buttigieg) 1662048093

The DOT stated, "Secretary Buttigieg wrote a letter to airline CEOs informing them that DOT would publish the dashboard before Labor Day and urged the airlines to improve their customer service plans before the release. As a result, all but one of the ten largest U.S. airlines made significant changes to their plans to improve services provided to passengers when their flights are canceled or delayed because of an airline issue."

Thousands of flights delayed or canceled this holiday weekend, glitch may cause 12,000 American Airlines flights to not have pilots in July



A computer glitch has caused an estimated 12,000 American Airlines flights to not have pilots in the month of July. There have also been thousands of delays or cancellations for this Fourth of July travel weekend.

Newsweek reported, "On Friday, American Airlines alone had to delay nearly 1,000 flights, with the industry overall suffering over 1,100 cancellations and nearly 11,000 delays. The issue leveled off somewhat on Saturday, with only around 3,000 flights being canceled."

NBC News reported on Saturday, "More than 12,000 July flights lacked either a captain, first officer or both, after pilots dropped assignments, the Allied Pilots Association said earlier."

ABC News reporter Gio Benitez wrote on Twitter, "An overnight computer glitch has allowed thousands of American Airlines pilots to drop their scheduled flights. The union says at least 12,000 flights are now without pilots starting tomorrow through the end of July."

According to Benitez, there was a similar situation that happened in 2017, "The airline offered double pay to get the pilots back in the air. No such offer has been made just yet."

American Airlines said in a statement, "We have become aware of a technical issue with our Trip Trade with Open Time System (TTOT). We understand these are important tools for our pilots and are working as quickly as possible. We will provide updates throughout the day as we learn more."

American Airlines claimed that there would be no impact on the holiday weekend operation, according to Benitez.

The Daily Mail reported, "Pilots typically go by month-to-month schedules on the Preferential Bidding System. In most cases, staff with seniority and override more junior staff's requests for certain routes or days off."

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wrote on Twitter, "When deciding whether to accept miles, it’s helpful to know their value, which varies, but often is estimated at 1 to 1.5 cents per mile. For example, my connecting flight got canceled last night. At first, the airline offered 2500 miles, which I estimate is worth about 30 bucks. But I claimed the refund for the canceled portion instead, and it worked out to be $112.07."

Staffing shortages and major thunderstorms have already interrupted commercial airline flight service this summer.

"Certain jobs cannot be filled quickly, nor should they be when it's as critical as, you know, pilots," William McGee – a senior fellow for aviation at American Economic Liberties Project – told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "And so now we have this shortage. There's just no way it's going to be fixed this summer."