By DAVID KOENIG
The Biden administration said Thursday it would take steps to require airlines to pay cash compensation and cover lodging and meals for stranded passengers when an airline causes flight cancellations or changes .
Such a rule would go well beyond the current requirement for airlines to refund tickets. This would bring U.S. policy more in line with airline consumer protection in Europe.
But with less than seven weeks until President Joe Biden leaves office, the fate of additional airline regulations will be left in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.
Industry trade group Airlines for America said the Biden administration’s proposal would increase ticket prices.
“In this highly competitive sector, carriers do not need additional incentives to provide quality service,” the group said in a statement. “This proposal is just one in a long line of poorly designed and rushed rules from an administration determined to re-regulate the U.S. airline industry. »
Biden’s Transportation Department said it would seek public comment on whether to require airlines to pay cash compensation — starting at $200 — when a flight is canceled or significantly delayed in due to a mechanical problem with the aircraft or an airline computer failure.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said his department is considering new protections for passengers at this late date as air travel breaks records.
The Department of Transportation maintains an online “dashboard” that lists each airline’s customer service promises when it causes flights to be canceled or significantly delayed. However, passengers generally must seek help at the airport, and airline promises don’t carry the weight of federal rules.
The department said it was considering cash compensation of up to $775 for delays of nine hours or more. The agency is considering letting smaller airlines pay lower compensation than larger ones.
The proposal will likely include free rebooking on the next available flight, possibly on another airline, as well as meals and accommodation when passengers are stranded overnight. Many of the largest U.S. airlines already promise this type of help when a delay or cancellation is their fault.
The administration will seek public comment on how to distinguish cancellations or delays that are within an airline’s control from those that are not.
Buttigieg said Thursday that a compensation rule would discourage airlines from causing delays and force them to take care of passengers if problems arise.
Buttigieg said on MSNBC that airline consumer protections have bipartisan support in Congress – which was demonstrated this week during a Senate hearing on airline fees – and that Trump campaigned on populist themes.
“An important test will be whether the next administration will follow through on what we started and maintain the rules we created and the enforcement practices we created to hold airlines accountable,” he said. declared.
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