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A trio of Democrat senators introduced legislation on Thursday to require airlines to provide passengers with cash compensation and free rebooking for hourslong flight delays.
Sens. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Ed Markey, D-Mass., proposed the measure, which has been co-sponsored by more than a dozen other Democrat senators.
Under the bill, dubbed the Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation Act, airlines would need to pay passengers $300 if their flight is delayed by more than three hours and $600 if their flight is delayed by at least six hours.
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It would also require the Department of Transportation to mandate airlines compensate passengers for meals, hotels and transportation resulting from flight disruptions, regardless of the cause.
“Flying is already stressful and expensive. Airlines have to be accountable when they cost the American people money and travelers are left stranded,” Kelly said in a press release. “We’re working to make sure that passengers are protected so that cancellations and delays don’t cost them money out of their own pockets.”
This comes after the Department of Transportation withdrew a Biden administration plan to provide cash compensation to passengers facing delays. That proposal would have required airlines to pay customers between $200 and $300 for delays of at least three hours, between $375 and $525 for delays of at least six hours and between $750 and $775 for delays of at least nine hours.
Airlines for America, a trade and lobbying group representing major airlines, supported the Trump administration’s reversal.
“We are encouraged by this Department of Transportation reviewing unnecessary and burdensome regulations that exceed its authority and don’t solve issues important to our customers,” the group said at the time.
But the senators argue that the compensation would financially protect passengers who experience flight delays or cancellations outside their control.
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“This commonsense legislation holds airlines accountable and properly compensates passengers when their flight is delayed or canceled—protecting Americans from losing their hard-earned paychecks to flight disruptions beyond their control and alleviating the burden of chaotic travel days,” Blumenthal said.
“The Trump Administration’s senseless backtracking on airline passenger protections only serves the airline industry, padding their pocketbooks and leaving Americans stranded without help,” he continued. “With the Flight Delay and Cancellation Compensation Act, we put the traveling public first and bolster cost-saving consumer protections.”
