Airline Compensation Policies Accessible from DOT's Digital Dashboard

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) recently issued final guidance informing the public and regulated entities about DOT's interpretation of unfair, deceptive practices related to airline travel in the USA.

The DOT announced that 'throughout 2022, Americans have experienced an unacceptable level of flight delays and cancellations.'

'When these disruptions occur, airlines are required to support passengers based on commitments made in their customer service plans, but too often, passengers find those plans are difficult to understand and do not guarantee services – such as meals or hotel accommodations when they must wait overnight at an airport – even for flights that are delayed or canceled because of the carrier.'

Issued by the DOT on August 29, 2022, access to a digital dashboard ensures the traveling public has easy access to information about services that U.S. airlines provide to mitigate passenger inconveniences when the cause of a cancellation or delay was due to circumstances within the airline's control.

A green check mark on the dashboard means an airline has committed to providing that service or amenity to its customers.

While a red "x" means the airline has not made that commitment.

However, airlines with a red "x" may sometimes provide these services and amenities at their discretion.

As a result of these actions, all but one of the ten largest U.S. airlines made significant changes to their plans to improve services provided to passengers when their flights are canceled or delayed because of an airline issue.

For example, no airline unconditionally guaranteed meal vouchers or hotels before this change.

Now, nine of the ten guarantee meals, and eight guarantee hotel accommodations when an airline issue causes a delay or cancelation.

"Passengers deserve transparency and clarity on what to expect from an airline when there is a cancelation or disruption," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg commented in a press release on September 1, 2022.

"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." 

This DOT announcement was manually curated for mobile readership.