[ad_1]
It’s not just your imagination. Flying has gotten worse this year. In addition to lost luggage and customers, flights are being canceled and delayed.
Reasons for the cancellations range from pilot shortages to hurricanes and other natural events exacerbated by climate change. But the end result is that more and more people are taking longer to get anywhere.
This is only a slight exaggeration, mind you. In the first six months of the year, 3.2% of US flights were canceled and 24% were delayed, according to data from the Department of Transportation. According to FlightAware, “This is up from a 2.1% cancellation rate and a 17.2% delay percentage over the same period in 2019.
No one is happy about this. But you know who is particularly unhappy about this? Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sent a scathing letter to nine major airlines telling them to take action. The man formerly known as Mayor Pete thinks these airlines owe dinner for our problems.
Mayor Pete tells them to get their airlines together.
As reported by FocusWire, Buttigieg politely urged the airlines to do better, calling the delays unacceptable. “These are not just numbers,” Buttigieg wrote in the letter. “These are missed birthdays, parties, graduations, time with loved ones and important meetings.”
One of Buttigieg’s demands is for airlines to offer meal vouchers to any passenger lasting more than three hours, and for passengers stranded overnight to get free accommodation.
Buttigieg wrote: “I ask that you take this opportunity to review your customer service plan to guarantee adequate services and facilities to help passengers with the costs and problems caused by delays and cancellations.”
The department requires airlines to provide meal vouchers for at least three hours or more and to provide accommodation to passengers who are delayed at the airport due to disruptions under the carrier’s control.
Scroll to continue.
Some airlines have a policy of offering hotel vouchers, but only if the flight is canceled for reasons beyond their control.
The Department of Transportation wants to keep the airline honest
Currently, there are no federal laws requiring airlines to provide meals or lodging to passengers in need.
While this may or may not change in the future, writer Buttigieg has other plans. On September 2, the Department of Transportation will launch a feature on its website that will allow travelers to compare the best deals for customers in the event of delays and cancellations.
Will the fear and embarrassment of being seen as cheap and inconsiderate, especially compared to the competition, shame airlines into coughing up some vouchers? We’ll find out soon enough.
This is just Secretary Buttigieg’s latest salvo in an ongoing pressure campaign against the airline industry. Earlier this summer, it announced a proposal that would guarantee customers a refund for canceled flights or flights delayed by more than three hours, unless they choose to take a later flight.
There is currently no uniform industry wide cancellation policy, and many airlines offer vouchers that expire within a year which is very inconvenient for many customers.
The proposal would require airlines to issue vouchers when passengers “can’t fly for reasons related to certain outbreaks, such as a government-mandated travel ban, closed borders, or passengers are advised not to travel to protect their health.” or the health of other passengers”.
But if an airline or ticket agency receives government aid related to the outbreak, they will be required to issue refunds instead of vouchers.
[ad_2]
Source link
