The White House said the expanded website will show that only one airline guarantees frequent flyer miles, and that two airlines guarantee travel credits or vouchers as compensation if passengers experience significant delays or cancelations that are caused by something within the airline’s control such as a mechanical issue. Zero airlines guarantee cash compensation for preventable delays and cancellations.
Biden and Buttigieg will officially announce the new effort at an appearance at the White House on Monday. The White House noted that three airlines, Alaska Airlines, Frontier Airlines and American Airlines, announced commitments to provide fee-free family seating after Biden included family seating fees as part of his attack on “junk fees” in this year’s State of the Union.
“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 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.”
Background: The announcement is another push by the White House to get ahead of a summer travel season that is predicted to exceed pre-pandemic travel levels in 2019.
Late last year, Southwest Airlines’ holiday meltdown stranded tens of thousands of passengers and prompted calls from Buttigieg and lawmakers to make travelers whole. Southwest responded by doling out rewards points and spending millions on hotels and other expenses for passengers who were stranded for days, though Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) is pushing the airline to make public how many customers applied for reimbursements for ancillary expenses but were rejected.
Federal law does not require airlines to compensate passengers for flight delays. If a flight is canceled, a passenger can choose to receive a refund.
Biden pushing airlines to go beyond refunds for delayed or canceled flights
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