On the eve of Labor Day, which will be celebrated in the United States next Monday, September 5th, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) launched a new information dashboard to help airline customers understand their rights in the event of cancellations and rescheduling of their travel itineraries.
Two weeks ago, Pete Buttigieg, country’s Secretary of Transportation, had written a letter to national airlines CEOs. In the text, he informed the executives that the government agency would publish the dashboard before Labour Day and urged the airlines to improve their customer service plans.
According to the government agency, nine of the country’s ten largest airlines made significant changes to improve service in cases of cancellations or delays attributable to their own problems. After the letter was sent, nine of them guarantee meals in contingency situations and eight ensure accommodation for affected passengers.
A new tool to facilitate access to information
The main objective of the dashboard presented today is to ensure that customers have easy access to information on the legal obligations of operators in these cases.
The new tool provides a unified space where it is possible to find out what services airlines must ensure in case of non-compliance with flight schedules due to reasons attributable to the airlines, such as aircraft mechanical problems or lack of staff for various reasons. It also sets out the measures that each airline has committed to take.
“Passengers deserve transparency and clarity on what to expect from an airline when there is a cancelation or disruption”, Pete Buttigieg said. “This dashboard collects that information in one place so travelers can easily understand their rights, compare airline practices, and make informed decisions”, he added.
Additionally, the Department’s Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP) recently completed investigative work and is pursuing enforcement actions against airlines that committed significant delays in refunding tickets for cancelled flights.
See also: U.S. Department of Transportation Cancels 26 Flights to Chinese Airlines
