Air travelers will get $1,350 if hit with proposed ‘passenger rights bill’ just weeks after Southwest Airlines’ epic crisis
Senators who want to impose tougher penalties when US airlines stranded or delayed passengers say they may eventually turn their ideas into law out of outrage at failures like the one at Southwest Airlines in December.
Democrats Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Edward Markey of Massachusetts said on Tuesday they would again introduce a “passenger’s rights bill” that would, among other things, allow customers to file class-action lawsuits against lawsuits. airlines and airline fee restrictions.
A trade group for the largest US airlines has launched a scathing attack on the legislation.
Both passenger rights and airline fees proposals from longtime critics of the airline industry have failed in the past, and they lack Republican support so far in the new Congress. But the lawmakers argued they could succeed this time by tying their idea to legislation that would have to pass to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration.
Southwest canceled 16,700 flights at the end of December, potentially affecting the travel plans of about 2 million people, as it took more than a week to recover from the winter storm. Crew-planning technology — which has received less attention from Southwest leaders than other technology expenditures — has been overwhelmed, causing planes, pilots and flight attendants to lose their jobs in the process. several days.
The U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating the commotion, which made Southwest the laughing stock of TV shows including “Saturday Night Live.”
Disaster will cost the Southwest about 1.1 billion dollars According to the airline’s own calculations, disruptions account for a fraction of the 210,000 flights in the United States that airlines have canceled in 2022. Cancellation rates have increased by 52% since 2021.
“Airlines need to be incentivized to do the right thing and consumers need to be protected,” Blumenthal told reporters.
Southwest did not respond to a request for comment, but a spokesman for trade group Airlines for America said the industry is a highly competitive industry that benefits consumers.
“This bill undermines and eliminates decades of successful policies that have transformed the air travel industry, allowing the vast majority of Americans to fly,” said spokeswoman Marli Collier. “The policies proposed in this bill — setting government-controlled prices, establishing private activism, and ordering private sector contracts — would significantly reduce competition. , leading to subsequent increases in airfares and the potential for service cuts to small and rural communities. “
Blumenthal’s proposal would set $1,350 as the minimum compensation for passengers experiencing oversold flights. It will require airlines to provide alternative transportation and reimburse out-of-pocket costs for customers whose flights were delayed as short as an hour – Southwest says it is refunding passengers stuck with “reasonable” hotel and food costs.
The bill would also allow consumers to file class-action lawsuits and remove the limit on fines the government can impose on airlines that violate consumer protection laws.
“If Southwest had faced possible penalties and collective action by consumers, it could have updated its IT systems,” he said.
Markey proposes separately to limit the fees that airlines must pay to provide services.
Both proposals have not gained traction in previous years. Blumenthal said things are different now due to the increasing disruption of airlines that have received tens of billions of dollars in pandemic relief from taxpayers.
There is precedent for attaching passenger terms to FAA reauthorization invoices. The last, in 2018, included a directive asking the government to set minimum standards for airplane seats, although little progress has been made on that.
And airlines have prevailed in other wars. Also in 2018, they successfully lobbied Congress to drop a provision that would have allowed the government to decide whether airline fees for things like checked baggage and seat assignments were reasonable.
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