Flights are delayed and canceled. Passenger complaints are up 270% above pre-pandemic levels. While this seems to be the post-pandemic norm, The Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg is not happy. Last week, he sent the airlines a letter that their performance needs to improve. This post also talks about the airline passengers with disabilities Bill of Rights.
“When passengers do experience cancelations and delays, they deserve clear and transparent information on the services that your airline will provide, to address the expenses and inconveniences resulting from these disruptions,” Buttigieg wrote.
DOT Air Travel Consumer Report
The latest edition of the Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR) has been released. The data contained in this report is through June 30, 2022. You can read a copy of it here. This report breaks down problems into multiple categories:
- On-time performance,
- Consumer complaints,
- Mishandled baggage,
- Mishandled wheelchairs and scooters and
- Bumping/overselling.
The ATCR is designed to assist consumers with information on the quality of services provided by airlines. The Department of Transportation remains committed to ensuring airline passengers are treated fairly and is concerned about recent flight cancellations and flight disruptions. The Department’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP) is monitoring airlines’ operations to ensure that airlines are not engaging in unrealistic scheduling of flights and are complying with aviation consumer protection requirements. This includes ensuring consumers receive prompt refunds if they are no longer interested in continuing their travel when their flights are canceled or significantly changed.
Secretary Buttigieg revealed that nearly a quarter of domestic flights were delayed and just over 3% were canceled in the first half of this year. “We are also contemplating options for rulemaking that would further expand the rights of airline passengers who experience disruptions,” Buttigieg wrote. He added that DOT asks that airlines, at a minimum, provide meal vouchers for delays of 3 hours or more and lodging accommodations for passengers who must wait overnight at an airport due to flight cancelations.
Passenger complaints from May to June of this year climbed 35%. To be fair to the airlines, there are delays and cancellations due to circumstances outside of the airline’s control like weather, airport congestion and Air Traffic Control delays.
The report is 78 pages in length crunching performance data into various nuances. Here are a few key takeaways from the report that was just released:
The chart below shows a two-year rise in domestic, canceled flights. Keep in mind that the beginning of this two-year period was during the peak of Covid. With the return of passenger traffic, flight cancelations more than doubled for the month of May, 2022.
The chart below shows for the month of June, 2022, on-time performance was 73.3%. The chart breaks out cancellations and delays by cause.
DOT Aviation Consumer Protection
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection website can be found here. The Office of Aviation Consumer Protection reviews and responds to consumer complaints and promotes awareness and understanding of consumer rights through online consumer information and education. The site describes DOT rules, guidance, and enforcement orders related to aviation consumer and civil rights matters. The Department of Transportation has information dealing with the following situations:
The “Dashboard”
The purpose of the DOT airline passenger dashboard is to inform travelers how much they are owed for flight cancellations. The dashboard will be featured with comparative information on the services that each of the large U.S. airlines provides, said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
The Department of Transportation wants to give passengers clear information about their rights and how to proceed to get their refund. This dashboard is scheduled to go online on September 2, 2022, at www.transportation.gov/airconsumer. The dashboard will have a matrix appearance with expectations listed by airline. I would expect that the dashboard will have exemptions for causes like weather and air traffic control delays.
Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights
This Bill of Rights describes the fundamental rights of air travelers with disabilities under the Air Carrier Access Act and its implementing regulation, 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 382 and is current as of July 2022. You can find the disabilities bill of rights website here.
This Bill of Rights covers the following areas:
- The Right to Be Treated with Dignity and Respect.
- The Right to Receive Information About Services and Aircraft Capabilities and Limitations.
- The Right to Receive Information in an Accessible Format.
- The Right to Accessible Airport Facilities.
- The Right to Assistance at Airports.
- The Right to Assistance on the Aircraft.
- The Right to Travel with an Assistive Device or Service Animal.
- The Right to Receive Seating Accommodations.
- The Right to Accessible Aircraft Features.
- The Right to Resolution of a Disability-Related Issue.
Some airlines are approved by DOT to use an alternative method to comply with regulation when it provides an equivalent level of accessibility or it meets the objective of Part 382. Visit the docket for the Equivalent Alternative Determinations and Conflict of Law Waivers for more information.
Final Thoughts
The airlines weren’t prepared for a surge in post-pandemic travel so many flights have been either canceled or delayed. The U. S. Department of Transportation has a webpage for Aviation Consumer Protection and now has a webpage with the new airline passengers with disabilities Bill of Rights. The airline passengers’ Bill of Rights is long overdue. The Secretary of Transportation wants the airlines to do better and on September 2, 2022, the Department will launch the “dashboard” to assist passengers on what they can expect from their airline for flight cancellations.
