Senators Push for Airline Passenger Protections Following Christmas Meltdown

Tuesday’s Senate Democrats were able to reintroduce legislation to improve airline passenger protections after a year. Travel disruptions That was punctuated by chaos. Tens of thousands left homeless Over the December holidays, it was a busy time for many people.

Sens. Sens. Get traction with two bills These policies are designed to expedite passenger refunds in the event of flight disruptions, and to reduce airline fees. They cover everything from seat assignments to checked bags and brought-in baggage. Billions The airline industry.

Sens. co-sponsored the Airline Passenger’s Bill of Rights. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I. and Bob Casey, D-Pa. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. also co-sponsored The Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights. This bill provides minimum compensation for those who have been bumped from flights. According to the Transportation Department, airlines are allowed to pay $1,550 for delays.

The legislation is not approved by them until a month later. Southwest Airlines canceled some 16,700 flights from Dec. 21 through Dec. 31 after its internal crew rebooking systems were unable to handle numerous flight changes from bad weather, prompting executives to slash the schedule. Southwest last week said it has processed nearly all reimbursement requests but declined to provide further detail.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., is planning to hold a hearing on the latest airline disruptions in the coming weeks.

The bills also follow a push by the Biden administration for stricter airline passenger rules, including for traveler refunds.

Airlines for America, said its members, the largest U.S. carriers, “abide by — and frequently exceed – all DOT regulations regarding consumer protections.”

“The proposed policies in this bill — instituting government-controlled pricing, establishing a private right of action and dictating private sector contracts — would drastically decrease competition, leading to a subsequent increase in airfare prices and potential cut in services to small and rural communities,” the industry group said in a statement.