The US will have new rules to protect travelers from flight delays and cancellations

In January, than 3,700 flights were delayed and over 640 were cancelled Across America due to computer outages. The problem was solved, but by that time travelers had had enough of the country: they had already faced it Mass holiday flight cancellations amid winter storms and a breakdown in employee technology at Southwest Airlines. Demand for travel picked up after the Covid-19 pandemic subsided, but long queues, lost luggage and countless cancellations and delays persisted over the summer as airports and airlines faced staffing cuts.

Southwest Airlines Almost cancelled 17,000 flights during a service outage in December, and the U.S. Department of Transportation and Justice are investigating whether the airline planned more flights than it could actually handle.

Due to the pandemic, airlines forced tens of thousands of workers to resign or take early retirement. But since November 2020 they have added some 118,000 new workers – What else, now they have 5% additional employees, according to figures from the Department of Transport. However, the problems do not seem to be over.

For this reason, Govt Joe Biden announced that it was developing New regulations Airlines are required to compensate passengers and cover their meals and hotel rooms if they are stranded for reasons beyond the airline’s control.

The US government has been taking a series of decisions for some time to tighten measures against airlines and strengthen the security of passengers on domestic and international flights departing from or arriving in the US. Before the summer peak travel season begins, as any frequent traveler can attest, it’s tempting for airlines to not make customer service worse.

Some of his fights to further protect consumers from airlines include his opposition to family seat fees; Investigation of ten airlines that did not refund tickets; He put pressure on Southwest Airlines after the holiday crash.

April Report of the Congressional Government Accountability Office He blamed airlines for the surge in cancellations.

Searching for the first time Airlines must provide compensation beyond refunding the ticketThis covers costs incurred by the consumer such as rebooking on another flight in case of cancellation or delay of several hours.

“When an airline cancels or delays a flight, passengers do not have to pay the bill,” the transport secretary said in a statement. Pete Boutique.

It is not yet known when these new rules will be published, as it could take months or even years to finalize the rules. In July 2021, a proposal was made to compel airlines to reimburse passengers for delayed baggage or non-functioning in-flight services: it has not yet been finalised.

There is currently no legal requirement for airlines to compensate passengers for delayed or canceled flights, but European union And some other countries require compensation 600 euros In cases of significant delays.

Currently, until new regulations are issued, passengers have rights if an airline cancels a flight — for any reason — To be reimbursed The unused portion of their ticket and some additional items such as extra baggage or what they paid for a particular seat. But airlines are trying to convince customers to accept travel vouchers instead of refunds.

Following massive delays and cancellations last summer, the Department of Transportation released a customer service dashboard online to pressure airlines. Provides information on airline commitments to families flying with young children and customers experiencing significant flight disruptions due to flight control situations.

Airlines to America, the Washington, DC-based trade association and lobby group representing the largest U.S. airlines, said in a statement that airlines have little incentive to delay or cancel flights, and that more than half of the cancellations in two recent years were due to “severe weather” or air traffic control disruptions. . “Carriers have taken responsibility for challenges that are within their control,” he said.

Ten of the largest airlines in the United States have committed to providing Cash or coupons for food When a passenger has to wait at least three hours for another flight. If stuck at night, they also promised Pay for passenger accommodation. At least nine out of ten airlines: Frontier Airlines does not make this commitment.

All were opposed to monetary compensation for delay.

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