U.S. Department of Transportation’s Post

Really interesting and should be scary for US airlines. Passenger rights and compensation will continue to grow and be a thorn for US airlines. How far will we go to match the EU's compensation rules? It would be interesting to hear some root cause analysis on this! https://lnkd.in/eVKGGTC4

JetBlue has been hit with a $2 million fine for its chronic flight delays! ✈️ The U.S. Department of Transportation is stepping up to ensure airlines maintain realistic schedules that benefit passengers. This penalty is just the beginning of stronger regulations aimed at improving travel reliability. #WentWorld #JetBlue #airlinedelays #consumerprotection #travelindustry https://lnkd.in/dnm34dPv

https://lnkd.in/gftEe7Gf Civilized country. Rule of Law. Justice. The Federal Government sued Southwest Airlines on Wednesday, accusing the airline of harming passengers who flew on two routes that were plagued by consistent delays in 2022. In a lawsuit, the Transportation Department said it was seeking more than $ 2.1 Million in Civil Penalties. “Airlines have a legal obligation to ensure that their flight schedules provide travelers with realistic departure and arrival times,” the transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, said in a statement. “Today’s ACTION SENDS A MESSAGE TO ALL AIRLINES that the department is PREPARED TO GO TO COURT IN ORDER TO ENFORCE PASSENGER PROTECTIONS.” Carriers are barred from operating unrealistic flight schedules, which the Transportation Department considers an Unfair, Deceptive and Anti-competitive practice. A “chronically delayed” Flight is defined as one that operates at least 10 times a month and is late by at least 30 minutes more than Half the time. “Holding out these chronically delayed flights disregarded Consumers’ need to have reliable information about the real arrival time of a flight and HARMED thousands of Passengers traveling on these Southwest flights by CAUSING DISRUPTIONS TO TRAVEL PLANS OR OTHER PLANS,” the department said in the Lawsuit. The Transportation Department on Wednesday also said that it had PENALIZED Frontier Airlines for chronically delayed flights, fining the airline $ 650,000. This month, the department ordered JetBlue Airways to pay a $ 2 Million FINE for failing to address similarly delayed flights over a span of more than a year ending in November 2023, with HALF THE MONEY GOING TO PASSENGERS affected by the Delays. #consumer #airlines #america

Finally, we’ll see some accountability for airline disruptions. But will it be enough? The Biden administration is moving forward with a rule that would require airlines to compensate passengers for controllable delays and cancellations. It may be issued as soon as January. This is happening amid record disruptions. Complaints against US airlines have quadrupled in the last four years. Like many travelers, I’ve experienced a fair share of frustrating delays and cancellations, dampening long-awaited and costly travel opportunities. It’s gotten to the point that even I, a seasoned and lifelong lover of travel, am reluctant to get on a plane these days if I don’t have to. I’ve heard of missed weddings and missed work opportunities. I’ve heard stories of families with children with special needs who’ve been stranded for days and so much more. The question is: How do you put a price tag on that type of heartache? My hope is that these punitive measures will spur airlines to take these disruptions more seriously and put more systems into place to keep them from happening. #airlines #flightcancellations #flightdelays #flights #flightcompensation #airlinecompensation #bidenairlines https://lnkd.in/eUZrUDUJ

Will it Help, or Hurt? As Congress enacts new aviation laws, there’s hope they'll genuinely help travelers more than they hinder. While these regulations aim to protect consumers, ensuring refunds for delayed or canceled flights and providing better transparency on fees, there’s concern they might also lead to unintended complications. For instance, airlines could raise base fares to offset the new rules. It’s crucial that these changes bring real benefits without introducing new issues for passengers or complicating air travel further. https://lnkd.in/gm6BKZZZ

Interesting article. Do you think airlines should eliminate fees and pay cash for delays?

Nobody wants to become a regular at the local terminal bar. In just about every aspect of life, oversharing is typically a no-no. In the airline business, however, transparency around delays and cancellations and the reasons behind them can be hugely beneficial. It seems that no carrier is better at this than United Airlines and achingly so. There's nothing worse than being stuck at a terminal because of a flight delay or cancellation and joining the hoards of other passengers at the counter with the ticket agent. Worse of all, the ticket agent knows little about what's actually happening amid scrambling to rebook what could be hundreds of passengers. If you've taken United, you're probably familiar with the flurry of texts, emails and mobile alerts covering everything from departure time, gate changes, delays and cancellations, and even weather reports. On the surface, those messages are what every passenger needs from other carriers. Think about it. Uncertainty or simply having another obstacle thrown your way without explanation opens a Pandora's box of emotions ranging from anxiety and stress to frustration and anger. But as human nature will tell you, some find overcommunicating and the volume of messages itself can be stressful. Knowing too much vs knowing too little can sometimes be a no-win situation. Personally, overcommunicating is a welcome development when it comes to air travel especially for an industry that in the past hasn't really been good about it. Travel is already enough of a headache for passengers as they dodge long lines, cross fingers their baggage shows up where they're going, and deal with excessive fees. Even if the flight is delayed because the pilot is taking longer than expected in the bathroom, that's likely better than the uncertainty that comes with not knowing why you're trapped at the terminal https://lnkd.in/gTNAQ7Bu #airlines #unitedairlines #travel #culture #communications #transparency #vacation #passengers

𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐀𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐓𝐲𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐳𝐨’𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐁𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔.𝐒. 𝐀𝐯𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 Frank Lorenzo, to many one of the most infamous men ever to run an airline, has written a book that comes out next week. It’s going to be a must-read that walks through his acquiring Continental, Eastern and more; selling the Eastern Airlines Shuttle to Donald Trump; and eventually being ruled by DOT to be unfit to run an airline. He has an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal which content that Department of Transportation regulation activity coming out of the Biden administration is undermining what’s been a miracle of deregulation – he doesn’t cite all of the specifics, but it’s made air travel far more accessible to the general public with lower fares and far more flights (by one measure, seven times as many). The meat of Lorenzo’s argument is this: airlines are forced to comply with more stringent rules than exist for other industries. #LatestNews #AviationNews #Aviation Source - https://lnkd.in/giBPdBbP

The DOT's new rules will improve airline passenger protections! The proposed regulations include automatic compensation, free rebooking, and better services during disruptions. These changes are designed to benefit travelers and increase airline accountability. 🌍✈️ #WentWorld #TravelRights #AirlineProtection #DOT https://lnkd.in/dZ-BGytj