After a summer of flight delays and cancellations, DOT plans website on passenger rights
After a punishing summer for air travelers who have seen delayed and canceled flights , the federal government is taking additional steps to help beleaguered passengers . The Department of Transportation is telling the airlines that they need to come up with their own improvements for customer service or the agency will proceed with a plan to order a rule change. The DOT is also creating a website, eyed for a launch two weeks from now, that they hope will easily show each airline’s policies regarding cancellations and delays. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called the travel disruptions unacceptable. “The message to the airlines is that you’ve got to make it easier for passengers to understand their rights. And you’ve got to support passengers when they experience delays or cancellations,” Buttigieg said in an interview that aired Friday on NBC’s “TODAY.” In the first six months of the year, 24% of U.S. flights have been delayed, and 3.2% have been canceled, according to DO...