The past week (and change) has been rough for airlines, given the IT meltdown that occurred. While Delta obviously had the toughest time, most airlines experienced a higher rate of cancelations than normal, during one of the busiest travel periods.
That brings us to something that I think people will get a kick out of, and which is also a good reminder of the consumer protections that exist.
US Transportation Secretary reads angry airline Tweets
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg just did a segment with The Recount, during which he was presented with a variety of angry airline Tweets (or whatever you call things posted on that platform nowadays, given that it’s no longer Twitter) from air travelers, and responded to them.
Many of these responses are to people who are clearly confused about what current regulations are, so he provides a useful reminder of what the actual policies are that are in place.
For example, one person writes:
Hey @PeteButtigieg, airlines should be required to refund tickets for flights that they cancel. @delta is only offering a credit that’s only valid for one year.
And of course he reminds them that airlines are actually required to refund passengers in cash when they cancel a flight.
Or there are stories like this one (which I’m sure some people will just deny happened):
Delta has completely dropped the ball on this.
My family and I have been stranded at Atlanta airport for 4 days now.
0 car rentals
0 hotels (was able to get one through a rewards program 25 minutes from the airport for tonight)
0 available flights
4-5 hours in line to even talk to a personThousands of flights canceled.
Thousand of people sleeping in the floor for days.
Thousands of lost bags with no one to claim them.I’ve flown over 30 times in the last 4 years and never seen anything like this even during Covic.
We have two flights booked for tomorrow and hope to catch one of them to make it home.
Buttigieg explains all the things that are wrong with how the airline handled this as well.
I appreciate increased accountability for airlines
It goes without saying that no country has a perfect system when it comes to passenger rights in the case of irregular operations. In the United States, we’re certainly not to the level of the European Union, and the EU261 passenger rights scheme, in terms of protection and compensation in the event of delays and cancelations.
However, there’s no denying that major progress has been made in terms of airlines needing to be transparent about their obligations, and being held accountable.
For example, given its meltdown, Delta has agreed to reimburse passengers if they booked tickets on other airlines due to flight delays and cancelations during the meltdown. That’s not something the airline legally has to do, but it’s ethically the right thing to do, given Delta’s inability to rebook so many stranded passengers.
Delta didn’t want to do this, and for days, the airline insisted it wouldn’t reimburse tickets on other airlines. Then the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced it was investigating Delta’s meltdown, and the airline suddenly changed its tune.
Similarly, I think there’s power to the DOT’s airline customer service dashboard, which clearly spells out what passengers are entitled to in the event of controllable delays and cancelations. Some airline agents used to claim the airline doesn’t provide any sort of accommodation in some situations, but that’s now all very clearly spelled out.
There’s still work to be done, but I think we’ve come a long way.
Bottom line
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is responding to some complaints from air travelers regarding delays and cancelations that were recently experienced. It’s a good reminder of what obligations airlines do have in the event of irregular operations, since (understandably) it’s something that many consumers are confused about.
Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.