Delays and cancellations can sometimes feel inevitable and there’s not much passengers can expect in terms of compensation for disruptions, but that could change under new proposals from the federal government.
As many prepare for the summer travel season, President Joe Biden unveiled a plan Monday to force airlines to compensate passengers when flights are significantly delayed or canceled. It's good news for travelers but the reality is this could take months or even years to be put into place.
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“I think airlines should offer hotel accommodations and or a meal depending on the length of the delay,” said Marquetia Jones, of Westborough, Massachusetts.
“At least somewhere to sleep, maybe some food, an Uber to the hotel, and if you can't even do that, maybe like credit or money," said Worcester resident Mileisha Diaz.
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The proposals call for passengers to receive cash, and for airlines to cover expenses for things like meals and hotel rooms for lengthy delays and cancellations.
“It’s really long overdue,” said aviation expert Kyle Potter, the executive editor of Thrifty Traveler, a travel website. “The fact that airlines are not legally required to cover the costs of a hotel when they strand customers overnight or cover the cost of their meals, is unconscionable.”
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He says this is an attempt to crackdown on the series of airline fiascos that have left countless passengers feeling helpless.
“This is to me really all about keeping the airlines in check and making them accountable for the failures after failures after major meltdowns that we’ve seen the past few years,” said Potter.
The rules would be in effect for problems within the airline’s power to control, like low staffing or computer glitches.
The Biden Administration says none of the major US airlines guarantees cash for preventable delays and cancellations.
It’s unknown exactly when we could see these new proposals be put in place. It’s up to the Department of Transportation to figure this out and really study the issue.
