If you were one of the thousands of airline passengers who were victims of the thousands of flight cancellations by Southwest Airlines during the holidays, you know how bad it was.
But sometimes good things can come out of bad things and that’s what could be happening.
A report by Axios says Southwest’s meltdown has reignited efforts to get an Airline Passengers Bill of Rights passed in Congress.
A U.S. Senator is reintroducing his bill first proposed in 2021 that would make sure that all airlines provide refunds and compensation for what it costs passengers hurt by cancellations, delays or lost luggage. Things such as rental cars, hotels and meals.
With the U.S. Department of Transportation already warning Southwest Airlines that if it doesn’t take care of their customers affected by what you might call the holiday “frightmare,” it could face fines.
Even the CEO at Southwest knows what a mess their meltdown caused with his apology as he announced that customers would be giving reward points worth $300 toward a future flight — on top of other refunds and reimbursements.
In the past airlines have not been crazy about proposals for new laws that require them to compensate passengers because they say can’t do anything about bad weather.
But all those travelers whose holiday was ruined will likely be standing at the front of the lines of support for a passenger bill of rights.
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