A new proposed federal rule would require airlines to pay cash to customers for “controllable” delays or cancellations.
The rule is being touted as a historic step toward ensuring passengers are adequately compensated for airline-caused snafus. But an industry group points out that severe weather and air-traffic control outages have lately been responsible for the lion’s share of the problems.
On May 8, President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg were expected to deliver remarks hours after the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced the proposed rule in a news release.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg testifies before the Senate Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development in Washington, D.C., on April 28, 2022. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)“When an airline causes a flight cancellation or delay, passengers should not foot the bill,” Buttigieg said in the release.
“This rule would, for the first time in U.S. history, propose to require airlines to compensate passengers and cover expenses,” he said, “such as meals, hotels, and rebooking in cases where the airline has caused a cancellation or significant delay.”
The DOT said that, right now, “no airline guarantees cash compensation” under those circumstances. The term, “controllable cancellation and delay,” still needs to be defined as part of the rule-making process.
“This rule-making could result in improved airline on-time performance,” DOT said.
However, an airline advocacy group, Airlines for America (A4A), told The Epoch Times in an email: “U.S. airlines have no incentive to delay or cancel a flight and do everything in their control to ensure flights depart and arrive on time.”
“But safety is always the top priority,” A4A said, adding, “We have the safest air travel system in the world because we never compromise on safety.”
Weather is one of the most significant factors affecting flight schedules, A4A said. “Extreme weather” caused more than half of the flight cancellations during 2022, the group said. Thus far in 2023, air carriers were at fault in about one-third of cancellations, A4A noted, while weather caused 58 percent of cancellations and National Airspace System (NAS) system failures nixed 8 percent of flights.
“Carriers have taken responsibility for challenges within their control,” A4A said. Airlines have been on a hiring spree to fill vacant positions as demand for travel rebounds post-COVID.
An air traffic control tower at JFK airport in New York on Jan. 11, 2023. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)At the same time, airlines have had to reduce schedules due to a shortage of air traffic controllers. Those professionals are under the purview of the Federal Aviation Administration.
“U.S. airlines are currently accommodating record demand while operating 10 percent fewer flights than in 2019 to reduce pressure on the system,” A4A said.
DOT says it has been pushing for two years to “improve the passenger experience.” As a result, the nation’s 10 largest airlines now “guarantee meals and free rebooking on the same airline,” DOT said; nine guarantee hotel accommodations.
The DOT’s Airline Customer Service Dashboard reflects the airlines’ policies. The Dashboard at FlightRights.Gov has been updated to “highlight which airlines currently offer cash compensation, provide travel credits or vouchers, or award frequent flyer miles when they cause flight delays or cancellations,” the DOT said.
“DOT’s planned rule-making would make passenger compensation and amenities mandatory so that travelers are taken care of,” DOT said.
This is a developing story that will be updated.