By David Shepardson WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) – Airlines that delayed or canceled U.S. flights last month due to an emergency government directive to update the software on Airbus A320 planes were not required to provide hotels, meals or other benefits to impacted passengers, the U.S. Transportation Department said Tuesday. Major airlines have committed to […]
U.S.
Passengers disrupted by A320 software update not entitled to airline compensation, USDOT says
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By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) – Airlines that delayed or canceled U.S. flights last month due to an emergency government directive to update the software on Airbus A320 planes were not required to provide hotels, meals or other benefits to impacted passengers, the U.S. Transportation Department said Tuesday.
Major airlines have committed to offering such benefits when a cancellation or significant delay is due to circumstances within the control of a carrier. USDOT said the Airbus A320 issue — which required immediate action under a Federal Aviation Administration directive — did not trigger the requirement.
The A320 issue forced hundreds of flight cancellations and delays over the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday as airlines raced to complete updates after a vulnerability to solar flares emerged in a recent mid-air incident on a JetBlue A320.
The department said in a notice Tuesday that going forward it “will not treat cancellations or lengthy delays resulting from unscheduled maintenance in response to an airworthiness directive that cannot be deferred or must be addressed before a flight to be due to circumstances within airline control.”
In November, the Transportation Department said it would abandon a proposal by the Biden administration to mandate passenger cash compensation — on top of hotels and meals — when airlines canceled or significantly delayed flights. Last week, a group of 15 Democratic senators proposed legislation Thursday to require airlines to provide cash compensation if carriers cause significant delays.
Airlines in the U.S. must refund passengers for canceled flights, but are not required to compensate customers for delays. The European Union, Canada, Brazil and Britain all have airline delay compensation rules. No large U.S. airline currently guarantees cash compensation for significant flight disruption.
USDOT also announced in September it was considering rescinding Biden regulations requiring airlines and ticket agents to disclose service fees alongside airfare.
The Trump administration also plans to reduce what it calls regulatory burdens on airlines and ticket agents by writing new rules detailing the definition of a flight cancellation that entitles consumers to ticket refunds, as well as revisiting rules on ticket pricing and advertising.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Aurora Ellis)