If you might have taken a domestic flight within the United States within the last 4 years, you might have probably experienced a minimum of one or two flight delays or cancellations – or worse, complete system failures– and needed to pay the bill without the airlines having the ability to claim compensation.
But there’s a possible relief on the horizon: The Biden administration is working hard on a bill that may require US airlines to pay passengers compensation for controllable cancellations or delays of three hours or more. The bill could come into force as early as January 2025 and is prone to bring groundbreaking changes for US passengers and the US aviation industry.
“This is not radical – we are late to the game as a country,” said Michael Negron, special assistant to the president for economic policy within the White House, at an invitation-only meeting in Washington on September 10.
This proposed compensation scheme would mean that US airlines would should pay each passenger on a disrupted flight a set amount of money, along with compensation for food and accommodation. The exact details and amounts are still being worked out.
An identical system has been in place within the European Union for twenty years, applying to international flights operated by American airlines. Under EU rules, airlines must compensate passengers for avoidable cancellations and long delays between $275 and $660, depending on the space of the flight.
“When an airline cancels a flight for technical or personnel reasons, passengers should receive compensation for their inconvenience,” said Senator Edward Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
Other countries akin to Canada, India, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Brazil and China have already got delay compensation schemes, and Australia is predicted to adopt such a scheme this yr, says Tomasz Pawliszyn, CEO of the European consumer protection organization. AirHelpwho advises the US government. If airlines selected to pass on the associated fee of those potential refunds to passengers to the ticket price, it might be lower than one euro or one dollar per ticket, he adds.
Passenger complaints against U.S. airlines have quadrupled over the past 4 years, reaching a record high in 2023 with just over 61,000 complaints filed. “Complaints in 2023 increased by 29%, even though passenger volume only increased by 11% – this reflects how upset people get when they feel things are not going well,” says Teresa Murray, director of consumer advocacy at US public interest research group.
Of these complaints, 35% were about flight problems, 20% were about refunds and 16% were about baggage. However, she adds, the variety of cancellations overall has improved this yr, as have punctuality rates.
The major U.S. airlines have different rules in relation to coping with delays. All ten airlines will rebook you on the identical airline in case your flight is disrupted or canceled and give you meals. Nine out of ten will provide hotels and ground transportation, while only six will rebook you on one other airline and only three out of ten will provide a voucher. Currently, none of them pay money for cancellations or delays of any kind.
The Biden administration’s ultimate goal is to motivate airlines to offer higher service. In Europe, flights are more punctual, which Negron says suggests there could also be a robust reference to the undeniable fact that European airlines are required to compensate travelers. Last yr, only one to 2 percent of all travelers received compensation on account of disruptions, data from AirHelp confirms.
“When there is a clear standard, it’s good for the industry and good for consumers because everyone understands what is required,” Negron says. “This information can lead to improved services.”
This latest discussion on compensation for flight delays follows a series of regulations under the Biden administration aimed toward protecting travelers and making U.S. airlines more accountable. There is a clarification of travelers’ rights to FlightRights.gova proposed rule on Improving flight access for passengers with disabilitiesthe recent rule requiring airlines to robotically and promptly issue refunds to passengers in the unique type of payment, as confirmed within the FAA Reauthorization Act, and the proposed rule imposing a ban on family seat charges.
“This is all part of trying to give passengers more confidence that everything will be OK,” says Negron, who adds that they’re working as quickly as possible to make clear details. “We can’t make up for being stuck in an airport or hotel for nine hours away from your family – but we can make sure that airlines are held accountable if it is something they could have prevented.”
