The US Department of Transportation (DoT) is planning new rules and measures that will ensure passenger rights are protected during flight cancellations and delays.
DoT Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, sent letters to the CEOs of several top airlines requesting them to do more to protect passengers who had been stranded or delayed, reports Travel Pulse.
In the letters, Buttigieg says the government is considering new rules pertaining to the rights of passengers, and that airlines are urged to develop customer service plans to ensure that adequate amenities and services are guaranteed.
Currently, several US airlines offer meals or hotel rooms to passengers who have been affected by flight delays or cancellations. Buttigieg has indicated that all airlines should provide meal vouchers for delays of three hours or more and lodging accommodations for overnight delays. However, there is presently no rule requiring airlines to do so.
With the planned new rules, airlines would be expected to compensate passengers in cases where the disruption was within the airline’s control, such as overbooked flights, flights cancelled or consolidated due to low passenger numbers, staff and flight crew availability issues, scheduled maintenance and repairs, and flight preparation activities.
In addition to the possible new rules, the DoT is planning to launch a new website to give travellers information about what they are owed for flight disruptions.
The interactive dashboard should be released on the department’s Aviation Consumer Protection website by September 2.
It will provide a platform for travellers to find easy-to-read, comparative information about what airlines provide when there is a cancellation or delay due to circumstances within airlines’ control.
