Nationwide, airlines have been facing a series of disruptions with flights that come at great costs to travelers. Many Americans have wound up missing out on events they were scheduled to attend, due to their flights either getting cancelled entirely or delayed.
With growing public pressure to get a hold of this issue, airlines are presently cutting back on flights offered and reducing the number of cities they provide service to.
Airlines also contend that right now, a huge factor in the issues they’re having boils down to pilots, or rather, a lack thereof.
However, seeing as these disruptions have been on and off since 2021, there’s more pressure for airlines to settle this once and for all. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says the government remains in consistent touch with airlines, especially as July 4 approaches.
Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders is calling for airlines to face financial penalties if they continue to have these issues, per The Hill.
The Latest From Sanders
The Vermont senator penned a letter to the Department of Transportation, saying the agency needs to start fining airlines that can’t get their affairs in order.
According to Sanders, fines should kick in once delays for domestic flights extend beyond two hours and after delays for international flights surpass three hours.
Fox Weather – 6/29/2022 – discussing #BernieSanders's proposal to the airline industry
"What Bernie Sanders is looking for is pretty unprecedented!"
(Different style of reporting than the CNBC segment) pic.twitter.com/8z9lEj6VPU
— CaseStudyQB – PeoplesGauntlet.com (@CaseStudyQB) June 30, 2022
Sanders proposed that fines should shake out to $15,000 per traveler, with the only exception being if the delays boil down to legitimate weather problems.
In other parts of the letter, the senator explained that in light of how many taxpayer dollars go to airlines, they have a duty to treat both personnel and travelers with respect.
Finally, Sanders said if airlines end up cancelling flights for which they know they don’t have the necessary crew ahead of time, the fines against them should increase to $50,000 per traveler.
More on Possibility Penalities Against Airlines
Sanders is not the only government official who’s alluded to possible punishments being brought against airlines for ongoing disruptions with flights.
Buttigieg also recently warned that airlines could be subject to punitive action from the federal government if they continue to have issues with getting travelers to their destinations on time.
CNBC – 6/29/2022 – #BernieSanders sent a letter to Pete Buttigieg, U.S Secretary of Transportation to force the airline industry to
– give refunds after 1-hour delays
– impose fines after 2-hour delays
– impose fines for scheduling flights they can't properly staff pic.twitter.com/QhjfQEudfg— CaseStudyQB – PeoplesGauntlet.com (@CaseStudyQB) June 30, 2022
In the letter to the Transportation Department, Sanders opined that flight delays extending beyond 60 minutes should get passengers refunded for their original airfare.
Flight delays for over four hours, if Sanders gets his way, would result in airlines having to eat the costs of meals and lodging accommodations for travelers.
At this time, the Transportation Department has not yet announced any plans to move forward with the fines proposed by Sanders.
Do you believe airlines should incur fines for delays and cancellations of their flights? Let us know about this and where you stand in the comments area.
