Following the recent Southwest Airlines logistical meltdown, which left thousands of travelers stuck across the nation, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) plans to reintroduce legislation establishing a “bill of rights” for airline passengers.
According to FlightAware’s data on cancellations, the firm is currently on par with other major airlines; during the busy Christmas travel season, the business canceled about two-thirds of the flights, even after the severe winter weather conditions had abated and other carriers had stopped canceling a high number of flights. Southwest stated that normal operations would resume on December 30.
The lawmakers noted in an interview with CBS saying that, “The kind of disaster that we saw with Southwest simply dramatizes an ongoing failure by the airlines to respect basic passenger rights,”
“Rental cars, hotel, meals, no questions asked, money back.” As Blumenthal is introducing legislation in the new Congress that would provide passengers affected by future flight cancellations with various reimbursement guarantees.
Among other things, the bill requires the Department of Transportation to implement regulations relating to:
- protections for airline passengers from being required to involuntarily relinquish their seats, unless necessary for safety or security;
- the elimination of the dollar limitations on compensation to passengers denied boarding due to overbooking;
- compensation to passengers for delayed or canceled flights;
- interline agreements between air carriers and other transportation providers;
- training on the rights of passengers;
- unreasonable air carrier fees;
- unrestricted access of consumers to information on schedules, fares, fees, and taxes;
- accuracy in pricing of tickets and disclosure of lowest fares; and
- notifications to passengers of their rights and eligibility for refunds.
In a previous letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) urged him to create regulations that would ensure compensation for travelers affected by canceled or delayed flights. Additional rules on the airline industry have been demanded by other lawmakers, following the holiday travel meltdown.
“Taxpayers bailed out the airline industry during their time of need. It is the responsibility of the airline industry and the Department of Transportation to ensure, to the maximum extent possible, that the flying public and crew members are able to get to their destinations on time and without delay,” Sanders wrote.
As officials struggle to regain the faith of irate customers, share prices for Southwest have dropped more than 15% over the previous month. The airline is distinct from other major carriers because flights are organized by a point-to-point system rather than a hub model. Leadership in the company’s pilot union has claimed the surge in cancellations was attributable to “a combination of processes, outdated technology, and infrastructure.”
In a recent statement that the firm is conducting a “thorough review” of the disruptions, Southwest CEO Bob Jordan remarked:
“We’ve already taken immediate actions to mitigate the risk of this ever happening again, and the review work will inform additional actions and investment as well.
“We’ve asked our unions to participate in this review effort as well, and likewise we are in regular communication with our Board of Directors,” Jordan added.
As Americans waited for last-minute Christmas presents, the snowfall and arctic temperatures also caused challenges for major delivery services: FedEx and UPS released comments warning of delays, while Amazon and the United States Postal Service closed numerous facilities. As 54 million people were scheduled to fly out of airports between December 18 and January 3, a 20% rise in holiday travel from the previous year, according to data from Hopper, despite ongoing financial pressures and other economic headwinds.
Sources: DailyWire, CBSNews, ConservativeNewsDaily
