![]() ![]() Supreme Court would strike them down given its June decision making it clear it wants to rein in agencies from promulgating new sweeping regulations. Firm: Guests can cancel and get a firm refund if they cancel at least 30 days before check-in or within 48 hours of booking if the reservation is at least 14 days out. (Adding to the concerns about new Transportation Department regulations is that the GOP-controlled U.S. But even these proposed regulations fall well short of providing fair compensation to passengers for expenses caused by delays or flight cancellations. ![]() Perhaps that is why the Transportation Department this fall proposed new federal regulations that would entitle passengers to refunds if domestic flights were delayed more than three hours. Given the 60-vote filibuster requirement to even bring a bill to a vote, there’s little to no chance to get 10 Republican senators to join with Democrats to enact legislation that imposes more regulations on big corporations that could eat into their profits. Unfortunately, this legislation went nowhere in the Senate. There’s little to no chance to get 10 Republican senators to join with Democrats to enact legislation that imposes more regulations on big corporations that could eat into their profits. One provision of the bill would mandate that in the event of flight delays of more than four hours caused by the carrier, the airline must “provide ticket refunds, alternate transportation, compensation, and cover the cost of meals and lodging (as applicable).” The legislation also “cracks down on airlines using weather as an excuse for delays and cancellations that are actually the airlines’ fault” and would improve the “process for passengers to submit airline complaints and forces airlines to address concerns quickly.” Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., summed it up well when introducing the bill: “As passengers are nickel-and-dimed at every turn, the airline industry has raked in billions.” ![]() One of the sponsors of the legislation, Sen. Late last year a group of Democratic senators reintroduced legislation to establish something called the Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights that would “ensure that airlines provide passengers with fair compensation, refunds, recourse in the event of airline-caused flight delays and cancellations,” and more. But the Transportation Department tells passengers it “does not hurt to politely ask your airline if it will transfer your ticket to another airline.” So, if you are really polite to the employees of these multinational corporations, you may get the chance to get to where you are going. The Transportation Department website explains that the airline is not even required to get you on another carrier’s flight to your destination, even if seats are open. It continues: “There are no federal laws requiring airlines to provide passengers with money or other compensation when their flights are delayed.” The best the Transportation Department can offer is that you “ask airline staff if they will pay for meals or a hotel room.” That means you must rely on the kindness of massive airlines, many of which saw billions in profits in 2021, to help you out. ![]()
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