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Travel slowdown reignites demand for ‘Passenger Bill of Rights’.
Briona Arradondo reports
Tampa, Fla. – The boom in holiday air travel has reignited demand for more rights for airline passengers.
In 2021, Connecticut’s U.S. senator tried to get commuter rights off the ground, but it didn’t go far. Now it’s restoring air travel after a winter storm that grounded planes across the country and forced issues at Southwest Airlines.
There were a few flight delays at Tampa International Airport Tuesday after the New Year’s holiday due to weather.
Read: A ‘baggage angel’ helps dozens of Tampa International Airport travelers find their bags
“Like the entire Midwest region, there are big storms coming back through Minnesota,” said Delta Air Lines passenger Jack Niemeyer.
But many flights are on time after the chaotic holiday travel season, especially for Southwest Airlines.
“Employees put up with a lot of nonsense from angry customers. That’s leadership,” said Louie Ricardo, a Tampa Bay resident who flies Southwest Airlines.
Ricardo went straight back to work on Tuesday morning after experiencing his own travel nightmare in the Southwest. He and his wife went through a series of delays and cancellations, staying overnight at the Denver airport before arriving in Nebraska to see their grandchildren for Christmas.
Related: Southwest Airlines issues another apology, announces resources to compensate lost luggage
“So we finally got to Omaha, Nebraska. Some people picked us up. And lo and behold, we had no luggage,” Ricardo said.
Those hurdles are coming front and center in the proposed Airline Passenger Bill of Rights. In the year In 2021, US Senator Richard Blumenthal introduced the bill to Congress, but it stalled in committee.
“They know they can do whatever they want. And so, I think the Bill of Rights is completely dead. You know, we have to have a place to go to protect ourselves and our rights,” Ricardo said.
The proposed bill appears to do a number of things for airline passengers, including preventing passengers from involuntarily giving up their seats and compensating for delayed or canceled flights, something Tampa faced Tuesday.
“The minute I walked into the airport, I looked at the screen where my gate was and it said the flight was delayed,” said Svitlana Goncharenko, a Delta Air Lines passenger.
More: After thousands of cancellations, how can Southwest Airlines regain trust?
Goncharenko, a frequent flyer for Leisure and Jobs, said the US could do more.
“There is a whole system in Europe, for example, they give you food vouchers or compensation. I recently went to Paris and missed my flight, and they gave me about $800 in compensation,” Goncharenko said.
So until more options emerge, travelers like Ricardo offer this advice.
“I was told your own tracking system and I say take down your numbers and know who to call because you have to take care of yourself,” Ricardo said.
Ricardo said he and his wife were left without their luggage the entire trip and had to pay for clothing and toiletries, but were able to get their bags back.
As for the Airline Passenger Act, the public will have to wait to see if it gets any traction in the new session of Congress.
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