A number of US-based airlines are critical of the Government’s new plans to place more public pressure on local aviation for transparency in offering more benefits for passengers, according to CNN.
"We support practical solutions that will actually improve the customer experience and strengthen operations across the National Airspace System. This latest request by the Department of Transportation (DOT) is not one of those," Airlines for America says.
The DOT recently introduced a dashboard specifying benefits that the 10 largest US airlines have committed to offer travellers when flights are interrupted, cancelled and delayed.
It was launched in response to nearly 56 000 flight cancellations during the summer to directly pressure air carriers to improve policies for passenger benefits.
Airlines are called on to commit to provide travellers delayed by more than three hours with either credit to use on future flights, frequent flier points, or US$100 (R1 800). The carriers had to officially respond to the request by Monday (October 31), Reuters said.
Airlines for America, however, says this "threatens to cause unnecessary, additional confusion for the travelling public regarding the range of reasons and causes for delays, which include weather and air traffic control staffing”.
But the DOT asserts that, because of its work on the dashboard, American travellers have greater transparency, adding that better customer service plans will guarantee them more services. "We'll continue to have the travelling public's back and work to increase transparency so Americans know exactly what the airlines are providing when they have a cancellation or delay."
