ICYMI: Blumenthal & Markey Discuss Airline Passenger Protection Legislation

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – In case you missed it, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA) introduced a pair of bills expanding protections for airlines passengers, the Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights and the Forbidding Airlines from Imposing Ridiculous (FAIR) Fees Act. The legislation comes as a winter storm has already cancelled and delayed thousands of flights across the country and just weeks after Southwest Airlines stranded thousands of airline passengers over the holidays. To discuss the bills, Blumenthal and Markey were joined on a virtual press conference yesterday by Christine Pastore, a resident of Stratford, Connecticut, who was personally impacted by the Southwest meltdown when her flight to Denver for her daughter’s birthday was cancelled.

“Airlines need to be given some incentives to do the right thing and consumers need protection,” said Blumenthal, calling the expenses and hardship from recent delays and cancellations, “just one example of what happens every day to many consumers across the country because they have no bill of rights right now.”

“This Bill of Rights provides practical, tangible guarantees,” Blumenthal continued, discussing the legislation’s provisions to ensure airlines provide passengers with fair compensation, refunds, and recourse in the event of airline-caused flight delays and cancellations. “If Southwest faced these kinds of potential penalties and consumer class action, it might have updated its IT system. It might have revised its point-to-point travel system. And it would have done the right thing voluntarily rather than incur these humongous disruptions and expenses to its consumers…This cause ought to be bipartisan. There’s nothing Republican or Democrat about being stranded in an airport.”

The legislation also protects consumers harmed by oversold flights and damaged or lost bags, and prohibits airlines from charging unreasonably high fees for basic services like checked bags, seat selection, and ticket changes.

“The Southwest Airlines meltdown over the holidays resulted in 16,700 cancelled flights and thousands upon thousands of ruined holidays, but the truth is that the airline industry has been broken for years,” said Markey. “That’s why Senator Blumenthal and I are standing up for consumers and reintroducing the Airline Bill of Rights and the FAIR Fees Act to send a message to the airline industry that business as usually won’t fly – from outrageous hidden fees to overbooked flights. Airlines can’t rake in billions in profits for their investors while making consumers pay more for less. It’s past time they prioritize passengers over profit.”

The real impacts of Southwest’s recent delays and cancellations were detailed by Christine Pastore whose flight to Denver on December 26^th was cancelled, leaving her and her husband unable to visit their daughter on her birthday. “We hadn’t seen her since August… A lot was put into this trip,” said Pastore. “We had to make the hard call to our daughter…and we didn’t get to see her on her birthday.” Pastore thanked Blumenthal and Markey for their work, calling the legislation and strengthened protections for passengers “long overdue.”     

The video of yesterday’s press conference is available here. The text of the Airline Passengers’ Bill of Rights can be found here. The text of the FAIR Fees Act can be found here.

-30-