Flight cancellations considered to be 'unacceptable' by the US Transportation Secretary

The US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sent a letter sent to all carriers’ executives in the US, as he believes that "the level of disruption Americans have experienced this summer is unacceptable."

 

"When passengers do experience cancellations 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. [..]

"The Department 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 because of disruptions within the carrier's control. Regardless of the cause of the delays or cancellations, the Department expects airlines to provide timely and responsive customer service during and after periods of flight disruptions," the Secretary’s letter quotes.

According to Buttigieg, DOT data indicates that 3.2% of US flights were cancelled and 24% were delayed in the first half of the year only, translating into a huge number of affected passengers. Moreover, 40,000 flights were also cancelled since the start of June.

"These aren't just numbers. These are missed birthday, parties, graduations, time with loved ones and important meetings," Buttigieg added.

In the attempt to address this problem, The Department of Transportation will soon release a new online dashboard with "easy-to-read, comparative summary information" for passengers, that will be published by the end of this week on the DOT's Aviation Consumer Protection webpage.

 

Source: edition.cnn.com