Buttigieg warns airlines: Help travelers or face new rules
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has warned airlines that his department could draft new rules around passenger rights if the carriers don’t give more help to travelers trapped by flight cancellations and delays.
Buttigieg is asking airline CEOs to, at a minimum, provide lodging for passengers stranded overnight at an airport and give out meal vouchers for delays of three hours or longer when the disruption is caused by something in the airline’s control.
The Transportation Department on Friday released a copy of the letters, which it said were sent to CEOs of 10 U.S. airlines including the major ones, their regional affiliates, and budget carriers.
A spokeswoman for Airlines for America, a trade group whose members include
American, United, Delta and Southwest, said airlines “strive to provide the highest level of customer service.” She said the airlines are committed to overcoming challenges including a tight labor market.
Buttigieg’s agency recently proposed rules around refunds for passengers whose flights are canceled. He told the CEOs the department is considering additional rules “that would further expand the rights of airline passengers who experience disruptions.”
Buttigieg has been sparring with the airlines since late spring over canceled and delayed flights. In his latest salvo, he told airline CEOs he appreciates that airlines have stepped up hiring and trimmed schedules to better match the number of flights they can handle.
“Still, the level of disruption Americans have experienced this summer is unacceptable,” he wrote.