Travelers subjected to delays and cancelations through the recent winter storm could have recourse with the Aviation Consumer Protection through the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Chaos reigned at airports across the United States as severe weather conditions caused flight delays nationwide.
Southwest Airlines alone canceled more than 12,000 flights nationwide since Dec. 23.
Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg spoke to union leaders and Southwest Airline’s CEO on Dec. 27. The Biden administration official conveyed the DOT’s expectations for airlines to meet their obligations to passengers and employees.
In addition to the DOT announcement that they will investigate whether the cancelations and delays were preventable, the department reminded travelers of their right to file an official complaint.
Travelers affected by delays and cancelations can find resources on the DOT website to file their complaints regarding flight delays, bumping or overbooking, tarmac delays, and lost, delayed, or damaged luggage.
Individuals can also request special disability accessibility and inquire about refunds, as well as a number of other actions.
Those whose flights were significantly delayed or canceled were advised to visit the website to request a refund and other services to which they might be entitled.
In addition to checking flight status and rebooking flights, customers can request a refund for their unused tickets and even file for reimbursement for expenses incurred: “In the event your flight is canceled, you may request a refund of your unused ticket to the original form of payment,” the airline stated on their website.
Included in the list of possible reimbursable expenses were hotel stays, other airline tickets, rental cars, and food.
Southwest CEO Bob Jordan issued a statement late on Dec. 27 saying he was “truly sorry” for his company’s failures and that they are aware they have some “real work to do in making this right.”
“The tools we use to recover from disruption service well 99 percent of the time, but clearly we need to double down on our already existing plans to upgrade systems for these extreme circumstances so that we never again face what’s happening right now,” he said.
Delta Air Lines canceled roughly 20 percent of its flights on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Alaska Air Group canceled about 65 percent of its flights on Dec. 23. Spirit Airlines Dec. 25 canceled 25 percent of its flights.
Jordan spoke of the “heroic employees caught up in a massive effort to stabilize the airline,” saying he is “apologizing to them daily,” and promising that they’ll be hearing more about our specific plans to ensure the challenges that they face the past few days will not be part of our future.”
The CEO went on to assure travelers that he would “lean in and go above and beyond” to “take care of our customers” with refunds and “proactively reaching out and taking care of customers who are dealing with costly detours and reroutes.”
The Southwest CEO also confirmed that he met with Buttigieg on Dec. 27. The transportation secretary told NBC Nightly News, “While we all understand that you can’t control the weather, this has clearly crossed the line from what is an uncontrollable weather situation to something that is the airline’s direct responsibility.”
Lawmakers have also voiced concern about the plight of stranded travelers with the Senate Commerce Committee promising an investigation into the logistical breakdown.
“The problems at Southwest Airlines over the last several days go beyond weather. The committee will be looking into the causes of these disruptions and its impact to consumers.
“Many airlines fail to adequately communicate with consumers during flight cancellations. Consumers deserve strong protections, including an updated consumer refund rule.”
