US proposes rules requiring airlines to compensate passengers for flight delays
Ahead of what promises to be a busy summer for the travel industry, the US Department of Transportation is proposing new rules that would require airlines to compensate passengers for cancellations and disruptions caused by the airlines.
Airlines for now are required to issue refunds to passengers if flights are canceled or significantly delayed due to factors within an airline’s control, including staffing shortages and maintenance issues. But the proposed rules, if approved, would require airlines to offer cash compensation and accommodation vouchers in addition to those refunds.
The rules would also call for “timely customer service during and after periods of widespread flight irregularities”.
Joe Biden and his transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, were planning to announce the proposal at the White House on Monday.
“When an airline causes a flight cancellation or delay, passengers should not foot the bill,” Buttigieg said in a statement. “This rule would, for the first time in US 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 a significant delay.”
The rules build on others that the transportation department proposed last year which would require airlines to inform passengers that they have a right to a refund if their flight is cancelled and to be transparent about fee information as customers buy tickets.
The proposals would not be immediately implemented as they went through a months-long rules-making process.
The transportation department last fall also launched an airline customer service dashboard that outlines what the 10 major US airlines offer passengers in the case of controllable
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