The Department of Transportation is creating a new rule-making process to address the inconvenience many have experienced during airline cancellations or delays.
President Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg gave details on this new initiative on Monday, May 8.
According to a White House release, the new process would look into requiring airlines to provide passengers faced with a controllable cancellation or delay with the following:
- Compensation in addition to refunds for passengers faced with a controllable cancellation or delay
- Meal vouchers, overnight accommodations and ground transportation
The new process will also explore cracking down on timely customer service during and after widespread flight delays, the release says.
The White House also says the Department of Transportation will launch an expanded airline customer service dashboard. News 3 Problem Solver Erin Miller has extensively reported on the matter. She says right now, if you go to FlightRights.gov, you can see a breakdown of what certain airlines do and do not cover in the case of any flight disruptions.
Erin says knowing these benefits ahead of time can help travelers advocate for themselves because most airlines likely won't provide some of these resources unless they're asked.
Checking this dashboard ahead of your flight is something Nadine Smith recommends. Last month, Nadine spoke with Erin about an experience she had with Spirit Airlines. She says the airline had canceled her flight, and she was struggling to get a refund.
After Erin stepped in and made a few calls, Nadine was refunded for her luggage.
On ourProblem Solvers page, you can find several stories Erin has done to profile what you can do to make your flight experience go smoothly in the wake of a busy travel season.
