The Department of Transportation said a new dashboard launching in time for the Labor Day travel weekend will help passengers understand their rights when flights are delayed.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the airline industry has had an “unacceptable” number of flight disruptions this summer. The Department of Transportation said when it shared plans about the dashboard with airlines, nine of the nation’s 10 leading airlines made improvements to their customer service.
For instance, United Airlines now offers meal vouchers when flights are delayed at least three hours. American Airlines now offers a hotel room for interruptions that grounds a passenger overnight if the airline is at fault for the cancellation.
According to the DOT, nine of the 10 listed airlines guarantee meals and eight of the 10 guarantee hotel accommodations when an airline issue causes the delay or cancelation.
The dashboard includes information from Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit and United airlines. The dashboard shows what airlines will provide passengers in the event of delayed or canceled flights.
“Passengers deserve transparency and clarity on what to expect from an airline when there is a cancelation or disruption,” said Buttigieg. “This dashboard collects that information in one place so travelers can easily understand their rights, compare airline practices, and make informed decisions. The Department will continue to support passengers and to hold airlines responsible for adhering to their customer obligations.”
According to Cirium data,66.8% of the flights it tracked in North America had on-time arrivals. That’s down from 72.25 percent in March 2022 and 75.3% in January.
Amid rising delays, the DOT has proposed rules for the airline industry that would make it easier for customers to garner refunds for flights delayed or significantly changed.
Although airlines have said air traffic control staffing has contributed to higher levels of cancellations, Buttigieg said staffing has not contributed to most delays.
