Secretary Buttigieg Urges Airlines to Reimburse Passengers for Unnecessary Delays

The Biden administration announced plans to require airlines to compensate passengers for delayed or canceled flights due to avoidable reasons. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg emphasized this as part of a continuous effort to improve air travel service as Americans resume flying following the COVID-19 pandemic. Under these regulations, airlines would be obligated to compensate passengers and cover additional costs, such as rebooking flights, food, and lodging, resulting from their cancellations or substantial delays.

Currently, airlines are only required to provide refunds for canceled flights, which often fall short of passengers' actual travel expenses. Airlines frequently attribute cancellations and delays to weather or technical difficulties. However, traveler advocates argue that airlines' overly ambitious planning and overworking their staff and equipment lead to these issues.

In response, the Transportation Department launched an online dashboard last year to help consumers compare airline policies concerning cancelations and three-hour-plus delays. Consequently, all 10 of the largest U.S. airlines agreed to provide cash or vouchers for meals for passengers experiencing such delays. Nine committed to cover hotel accommodations for passengers stranded overnight, excluding budget carrier Frontier.

However, only six of these airlines consented to rebook stranded passengers on partner airlines for free, a move that can prevent inconvenience and additional costs. Merely JetBlue and Alaska Airlines committed to offering refunds for flights delayed by three hours or more.

The issue of compensation for airline-caused delays gained prominence during Southwest Airlines' chaotic December cancellations, leaving passengers scrambling for alternative transportation. The Transportation Department aims to collaborate with airlines to reduce cancellations and delays this summer, as U.S. air travel numbers are predicted to surpass pre-pandemic records. Although a recent report from the Government Accountability Office held airlines responsible for many cancellations, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has also contributed to disruptions through technology failures and staff shortages. The FAA recently advised airlines to decrease flights to and from major New York airports this summer due to insufficient air traffic controllers at a crucial facility.