Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to discuss the FAA’s rapid recovery from the longest government shutdown in US history and warns that the air travel chaos poses major risks to the US aviation system.
A trio of Democratic senators introduced legislation on Thursday that would require airlines to offer passengers cash compensation and free rebooking for hours-long flight delays.
Sens. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Ed Markey, D-Mass., proposed the measure, which was co-sponsored by more than a dozen other Democratic senators.
Under the bill, called the Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation Act, airlines would have to pay passengers $300 if their flight is delayed more than three hours and $600 if their flight is delayed at least six hours.
TRUMP AXES BIDEN PLAN THAT WOULD HAVE FORCED AIRLINES TO PAY PASSENGERS CASH FOR DELAYS
Sens. Mark Kelly, Richard Blumenthal and Ed Markey proposed the measure. (Getty Images / Getty Images)
It would also require the Department of Transportation to require airlines to compensate passengers for meals, hotels and transportation due to flight disruptions, regardless of the cause.
“Flying is already stressful and expensive. Airlines must be held accountable when they cost the American people money and leave travelers stranded,” Kelly said in a news release. “We are working to ensure passengers are protected so that cancellations and delays do not cost them money out of pocket.”
This comes after the Department of Transportation withdrew a Biden administration plan to provide cash compensation to passengers facing delays. That proposal would have required airlines to pay customers between $200 and $300 for delays of at least three hours, between $375 and $525 for delays of at least six hours and between $750 and $775 for delays of at least nine hours.
A United Airlines Airbus is parked at Dulles Washington International Airport, in Dulles, Virginia. (DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Airlines for America, a trade and lobbying group representing major airlines, supported the Trump administration’s reversal.
“We are encouraged by this Department of Transportation to review unnecessary and burdensome regulations that exceed its authority and do not solve issues that are important to our customers,” the group said at the time.
But the senators argue that the compensation would financially protect passengers who experience flight delays or cancellations beyond their control.
BIDEN ADMIN’S NEW AVIATION MEASURES TO REQUIRE CASH REFUNDS FOR CANCELED FLIGHTS, COSTS ANNOUNCED IN ADVANCE
Passengers look at information boards about flight departures in the West Gates expansion area at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
“This common-sense legislation holds airlines accountable and properly compensates passengers when their flights are delayed or canceled – protecting Americans from losing their hard-earned paychecks due to flight disruptions beyond their control and easing the burden of chaotic travel days,” Blumenthal said.
“The Trump administration’s senseless backtracking on airline passenger protections only serves the airline industry’s best interests, lining their pockets and leaving Americans without help,” he continued. “With the Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation Act, we are putting the traveling public first and strengthening cost-saving consumer protections.”
