New rule proposes airlines pay passengers for delays and cancellations.

Airlines May Have to Pay Passengers for Delays and Cancellations

A new proposed federal rule could mean that airlines will have to pay cash to customers for “controllable” delays or cancellations. This rule is being touted as a historic step towards ensuring passengers are adequately compensated for airline-caused snafus.

What the Rule Means for Passengers

If the rule is passed, airlines will have to compensate passengers and cover expenses such as meals, hotels, and rebooking in cases where the airline has caused a cancellation or significant delay. This is the first time in U.S. history that airlines would be required to provide cash compensation under these circumstances.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said, “When an airline causes a flight cancellation or delay, passengers should not foot the bill.”

Why the Rule is Needed

Post-pandemic travel demand has returned at a higher-than-expected rate, posing a challenge for airlines to keep up. Last summer, staffing and other issues meant that airlines saw unacceptable rates of delays and cancellations, even on blue-sky days. Then, when foul weather struck in December, airlines that were “unprepared” to respond resulted in unacceptable levels of service.

Although cancellations have recently hovered under 2 percent, Buttigieg said, “Summer travel is going to put enormous pressure on the system.” And that’s why the Biden administration is continuing to pressure airlines to deliver more reliable service and to compensate customers more fairly when problems arise.

What the Airlines Say

An airline advocacy group, Airlines for America (A4A), told The Epoch Times in an email, “U.S. airlines have no incentive to delay or cancel a flight and do everything in their control to ensure flights depart and arrive on time.”

Weather is one of the most significant factors affecting flight schedules, and “extreme weather” caused more than half of the flight cancellations.

While the term “controllable cancellation and delay” still needs to be defined as part of the rule-making process, this rule-making could result in improved airline on-time performance.