U.S. Department of Transportation recently rolled out a new airline customer service dashboard to provide information about improvements to customer service by airlines.
According to a Sept. 1 news release, the new action is meant to help combat the amount of flight delays and disruptions that Americans have experienced so far in 2022.
“Passengers deserve transparency and clarity on what to expect from an airline when there is a cancellation or disruption,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in the release. “This dashboard collects that information in one place so travelers can easily understand their rights, compare airline practices and make informed decisions. The Department will continue to support passengers and to hold airlines responsible for adhering to their customer obligations.”
Buttigieg wrote a letter to airline CEOs informing them the dashboard would be online before Labor Day and called on them to make make improvements to customer service ahead of the release, according to the release. In response, nine out of the 10 of largest U.S. airlines made updates to their plans to improve customer services when flights are canceled or delayed.
Travelers can use the dashboard to receive information on services and amenities airlines provide in the event of delays or cancellations for reasons within the airline’s control, the release reported. The dashboard will also provide information on services airlines will provide to help make travelers more informed choices when choosing an airline.
DOT will hold the airlines accountable if they don’t provide the promised services, the release reported. The department expects airlines to provide timely and responsive customer service during and after periods of flight disruptions, regardless of the cause of the delays or cancellations. Airlines will also be expected to provide prompt refunds to ticketed passengers that opt not to accept offered alternatives such as rebooking on another flight.
In an effort to increase transparency, DOT also proposed rules to require airlines to proactively inform passengers they have a right to receive a refund when a flight is canceled or significantly changed, define the parameters of what would constitute a refund, require airlines to provide non-expiring vouchers or credit when people can’t travel because of COVID-19 or other communicable diseases and require airlines that received significant government assistance related to the pandemic to issue refunds rather than credits or vouchers, the release reported.
