Should I get paid if my flight is canceled or significantly delayed? The Biden administration thinks so.
On May 8, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that in the event of significant disruption under the airline’s control (i.e., other than weather), airlines will be required to provide stranded passengers with food, hotel, rebooking, and other expenses. announced that it would begin a rule-making process that would require it to indemnify – are related).
If fully enacted, this change could make U.S. passenger rights more like U.S. rights. european union traveler EU261 obliges airlines to compensate passengers who arrive more than three hours late.
“When your flight is significantly delayed or canceled and the airline could have prevented it, it’s not enough for you to just get paid for your ticket. [back]President Joe Biden said on May 8, “You deserve full compensation. Your time matters. The impact on your life matters.”
What if the airline cancels the flight?
For clarity, passengers traveling to the United States that is already entitled to a refund If your flight is canceled or significantly delayed.
If the passenger ultimately chooses not to fly, weather-related or otherwise, the airline must refund the unused portion of the ticket to the passenger. Note that DOT does not define what constitutes “long delay”.
But Biden feels the DOT policy isn’t enough.
Are airlines obligated to pay for flight delays?
today, US airline technically not it is better to Compensate passengers for additional costs incurred in the event of flight delays or cancellations.
Last fall, DOT Dashboard It represents the benefits guaranteed by 10 US airlines in the event of serious disruption within the airline’s scope of responsibility. Consider the expenses that passengers often face when they are stranded, such as meals, taxi rides, and extra hotel nights.
And when it comes to refunds, lawmakers want them back. cash A refund, or at least that option.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg urged passengers on Twitter during the mass disruption last summer to make sure: Loyalty currency value before receiving it in lieu of money.
Southwest Airlines voluntarily paid customers, but rules proposed by the Department of Transportation would require payment for stranded passengers.
Possible Downside to DOT Airline Compensation
Not everyone is in favor of this change. The International Air Transport Association criticized the decision in a statement, arguing that airlines already have economic incentives not to delay or cancel flights, adding that such provisions “increase the cost of air travel.” .
IATA Executive Director Willie Walsh said: “While the additional costs imposed by this regulation do not create new incentives, they will need to be recovered and will likely impact ticket prices.”
Further promotion of customer service
For the Biden administration, the move is the latest push in a multi-year pressure campaign calling for greater consumer protections for airlines.
government criticizes Seat selection fee And it began rulemaking to require airlines to proactively inform customers of their right to refunds and to define what constitutes “significant delays” that merit refunds.
Nearly 5,000 people, ranging from customers to travel agents to airline industry advocates, gave their views as part of another federal rulemaking comment period last year. Many called for greater consumer protection.
It remains to be seen how far-reaching the proposed compensation rules will ultimately be (if adopted), but the DOT has expanded the airline’s consumer protection dashboard in the meantime. FlightRights.gov.
There passengers can see which airlines guarantee which types of reimbursements for meals, ground transportation, hotels, etc.and dashboard address Family seats with free admission (Three airlines have met DOT standards on this issue) and passenger compensation beyond refunds and refunds (which none of the airlines currently do).
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