Buttigieg warns airlines that high flight cancellations ‘unacceptable’

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg this week warned airlines that the high delay and cancellation rates they have posted throughout 2022 are “unacceptable” and that companies should be prepared to provide amenities to passengers who are left stranded in airports.

Buttigieg said in a letter to airlines that “the level of disruption Americans have experienced this summer is unacceptable.” 

“In the first six months of 2022, roughly 24% of the domestic flights of U.S. airlines have been delayed and 3.2% have been canceled,” he wrote.

Buttigieg said passengers who suffer such disruptions “deserve clear and transparent information on the services that [airlines] will provide” in compensation. The Biden administration, he said, is launching an “interactive dashboard” where airlines can detail such amenities. 

The Biden administration “asks that airlines, at a minimum, provide meal vouchers for delays of 3 hours or more” as well as “lodging accommodations” for overnight stays in airports. 

The letter comes just ahead of the Labor Day travel weekend, historically one of the biggest travel days on the U.S. calendar.