US To Propose New Flight Cancellation/Delay Rules

Above, at Twin Falls Magic Valley Regional Airport in 2020. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since 2019, I had two flights cancelled allegedly due to weather conditions.

The first was in 2019 when I was returning home from G-FEST in Rosemont, Illinois. My flight was cancelled allegedly due to weather. This was in the middle of July, so I had to wonder what weather condition would cause the cancellation. This forced me to stay overnight at a Motel 6 in Rosemont near Chicago O'Hare International Airport.

The second time came in 2021 (July again) as I was returning home from the Wells Fun Run in Wells, Nevada. The closest airport was the Twin Falls Magic Valley Regional Airport. There were thunderstorms everywhere during the trip, including Wells. My connecting flight from Salt Lake City, Utah to Albuquerque was cancelled allegedly due to thunderstorms. I had to stay one night in a motel in Salt Lake City. 

Of course, the airlines claim that both instances were "beyond their control" due to weather. Don't they fly above the storms? And, one has to ask, why couldn't they just have the planes fly around the storm cells? It seems that this would eliminate the "beyond control" issue.

The Biden Administration is going to propose new rules on flight cancellations and delays. 

According to the AP News:

President Joe Biden said Monday his administration will write new regulations that will require airlines to compensate air travelers and cover their meals and hotel rooms if they are stranded for reasons within the airline’s control.

The compensation would be in addition to ticket refunds when the airline is at fault for a flight being canceled or significantly delayed. It would give consumers in the United States protections similar to those in the European Union.

“I know how frustrated many of you are with the service you get from your U.S. airlines,” Biden said. “That’s why our top priority has been to get American air travelers a better deal.”

Biden added, “You deserve more than just getting the price of your ticket (refunded) — you deserve to be fully compensated. Your time matters, the impact on your life matters.”

Biden’s pledge comes just weeks before the start of the peak summer travel season, when air travel could exceed pre-coronavirus pandemic records.

It would have been nice to have my hotel bills reimbursed by the airlines in both instances.

I remains to be seen what proposed new rules they will come up with.  

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