The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has launched a new dashboard in hopes of helping travelers who experience flight delays and cancellations.
Over the last year, many Americans have experienced an above-average number of flight delays and cancellations. However, because of complicated customer service plans containing legal speak and far too many words, many travelers don't know what they deserve when these disruptions happen.
That's why DOT created a dashboard that provides travelers with the ease of having one location to find information on services and amenities airlines provide when delays and cancellations happen.
It breaks down 10 airlines' policies: Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit, and United.
DOT said airlines are required to keep the promises they make in their customer service plans and if they don't, DOT said it will hold those airlines accountable.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Secretary Pete Buttigieg reached out to all the major U.S. airlines to inform them of the new dashboard. In response, all but one of the ten largest airlines made "significant changes to their plans to improve services provided to passengers when their flights are canceled or delayed because of an airline issue."
The DOT said prior to that notification, no airline guaranteed meal vouchers or hotels. Now, nine of the 10 guarantee meals, and eight of the 10 guarantee hotel accommodations when an airline issue causes a delay or cancelation.
“Passengers deserve transparency and clarity on what to expect from an airline when there is a cancelation or disruption,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement. “This dashboard collects that information in one place so travelers can easily understand their rights, compare airline practices, and make informed decisions."
The dashboard is available on the DOT's website.
