President Joe Biden is the latest public official to take aim at U.S. airlines.
The administration, he said on Monday, is “cracking down on the airlines to get passengers fairer treatment.”
“And we’re going to get more rules in the works to protect airline passengers even further,” Biden added during a speech at Boston Logan Airport.
In particular, Biden made reference to the DOT’s Sept. 2 launch of an online dashboard that compares the services airlines have committed to offer when they are responsible for flight delays and cancellations.
Creation of the dashboard led to a broad expansion of what U.S. carriers now promise, in writing, to deliver.
Prior to being informed the dashboard was coming, only Southwest among the 10 largest U.S. carriers with a policy to rebook passengers at no cost within its own network. Now each of the 10 carriers except Allegiant make that commitment.
Similar changes were made by airlines in their written policies for meal vouchers, hotel stays and hotel transportation.
“And that’s progress,” said Biden, who explained that he had asked DOT secretary Pete Buttigieg to call the airlines out.
In a statement, the trade group Airlines for America (A4A) said that U.S. carriers were often offering the services included the dashboard prior to its inception. Now those policies have been formalized. A4A also maintained that airlines often go beyond the offerings included in the dashboard summary.
“U.S. airlines are committed to offering a high level of customer service and providing a positive, safe flight experience for all passengers. We welcome opportunities to simplify travel policies, clarify existing practices and increase transparency for travelers,” A4A said.
Biden spoke at Logan to promote new federal funding for airports that was included in last year’s federal infrastructure bill.
Boston Logan has received a grant of $62 million to go toward an ongoing $700 million upgrade and expansion of the airport’s Terminal E.
