18 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY AUGUST 3-9, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Fear of Flying The fight for airline passenger rights—and holding the industry to account—is heating up. By Katrina Vanden Heuvel FORUM You’re not imagining it: Flight delays are up this summer. At one point in late June, one-third of all flights nationwide experienced delays, a 25-percent increase compared to the same range of dates last year. Cancellations were up a staggering 374-percent from 2019. Delays and cancellations due to weather are bound to happen. But according to a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, airlines were responsible for 60 percent or more of their own cancellations in late 2021. So while you can’t blame airlines for bad weather—although considering their role in climate change, maybe you can—there is plenty of room to blame reckless management. Flight delays are more than just an inconvenience. During a recent Delta flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta, passengers endured an almost three-hour wait on the tarmac in sweltering 114-degree heat. Passengers fell ill, and some fainted. Luckily, none died. There are nightmare travel stories every day that are made worse—or completely caused—by airline mismanagement. Katie Demko missed her own wedding when Southwest canceled her St. Louis to Belize flight just before boarding. The reason for the cancellation? Southwest had understaffed its flight attendants. In the European Union, if you suffer through security, arrive at your gate, and are hit with the dreaded news that your flight has been delayed, you will come to learn the wonders of a regulation called EU 261. Depending on the length of the delay, travelers in Europe are entitled to a refund, additional compensation, meal vouchers, a courtesy phone call to check in with loved ones—and, if the delay is overnight, a hotel reservation. If your flight is delayed in the U.S., you are entitled to nothing. But that could be changing. The Biden administration has indicated that it intends to improve consumer protection for airline travel. Proposed regulations would require airlines to cover meal and hotel expenses if the delay was in their control, and offer compensation beyond that. In Congress, bipartisan legislation passed the House to increase funding for air traffic controllers— welcome news, since controller shortages often force the FAA to cancel or slow down flights. But the legislation would also repeal an Obama-era rule requiring airlines to display full flight prices in advertising. A better solution would be what senators Ed Markey and Richard Blumenthal introduced earlier this year: the Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights. Such an approach would address a root cause of airline dysfunction: deregulation. It is 42 years since President Ronald Reagan fired striking air traffic controllers. President Joe Biden has a chance to make a different kind of mark on the industry. He can help give hard-working professionals in the field the compensation they deserve. He can improve the dignity of travel for all. And he can make American life a little less turbulent. Katrina vanden Heuvel is editorial director and publisher of The Nation. OPINION A root cause of airline dysfunction is deregulation.
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