WASHINGTON, DC – After a summer of flight cancellations, with 22.9% of U.S. airline flights delayed between June 1 and August 30, passengers now have a new tool to help them determine what compensation each airline will offer. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) launched its dashboard on September 1 detailing the types of accommodations airlines agree to provide passengers in the event of a delay or cancellation that is within an airline’s control, though they are not required to provide them in cases beyond their control, such as weather or air traffic control issues.
“Passengers deserve to know with full transparency what they can expect from an airline in the event of a cancellation or disruption,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “This dashboard brings that information together in one place so travelers can easily understand their rights, compare airline practices, and make informed decisions. The Department will continue to support passengers and hold airlines accountable for meeting their obligations to customers.”
While some of these compensations were already in effect before the dashboard was released, passengers can now compare each airline’s offerings, which can help consumers decide which airline to fly with. Many major U.S. carriers, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines, have all rewritten their policies to make it easier for passengers to understand how they are protected. The new tool provides information not only on airline-provided accommodations, but also on meal vouchers, ground transportation and rebooking commitments.
Delta Air Lines is one of those that rewrote its policy explanations, even though compensation was already in place.
“After safety, Delta’s top priority is doing what’s right for our customers when a delay or cancellation occurs, regardless of the cause,” said Drake X. Castaneda, a spokesman for the airline’s Corporate Communications division. “The categories presented in the DOT dashboard are aligned with our ongoing commitment to our customers, and we’ve updated some of our language to be explicitly clear about the services and amenities we provide to customers when they are disrupted. Our focus remains on providing operational reliability and best-in-class customer service across our operations.”
United also stressed that compensation is already in place, even though the airline has changed its meal voucher policies and now offers a meal voucher after a three-hour controllable delay. Previously, it was four hours. According to a spokesperson, “what’s really different is the way these policies are written now – they’re much clearer and more transparent to our customers.”
DOT takes action
The dashboard is one of several steps the DOT is taking to improve customer service to travelers. The DOT will hold airlines accountable if they fail to deliver promised services and has also provided direct links to airline customer service plans on its Aviation Consumer Protection website.
According to the DOT, Secretary Buttigieg wrote a letter to airline CEOs in August informing them that the DOT would release the scorecard by Labor Day and urged airlines to improve their customer service plans ahead of the release. As a result, all but one of the largest U.S. airlines have changed their plans to improve the services they provide to passengers when their flights are canceled or delayed due to an airline issue. Nine of the 10 largest airlines now guarantee meals and eight of the 10 guarantee hotel accommodations when an airline issue is the cause of the delay or cancellation.
In addition to the dashboard, DOT recently proposed a rule to make it easier for passengers to refund airline tickets. DOT is currently collecting comments on this rule, which would ensure the following:
- Require airlines to proactively inform passengers that they are entitled to a refund when a flight is cancelled or significantly changed.
- Define a material change and cancellation that would entitle a consumer to a refund.
- Require airlines to provide non-expiring travel vouchers or credits when people cannot travel because they have COVID-19 or other communicable diseases.
- Require airlines receiving significant pandemic-related government assistance to issue refunds in lieu of travel credits or non-expiring vouchers when passengers are unable or advised not to travel due to a serious communicable disease.
According to Tomasz Pawliszyn, CEO of AirHelp, part of the Association of Passenger Rights Advocates (APRA), the European Passenger Protection Act, EC261, could serve as an example for the United States when it comes to refunds in the event of a flight cancellation.
According to Pawliszyn, EC Directive 261 has proven itself in the EU in terms of improving the quality of air service and eliminating overbooking. The European market experiences three times fewer significant delays than its American counterpart. “We believe that one of the main reasons for this difference is the existence of air passenger rights regulations – or rather the lack of them in the US. According to another study, EC Directive 261 directly leads to 5% fewer delays.”
Contact Drake X. Castaneda at drake.castaneda@delta.com