US representatives introduce legislation to hold airlines accountable for flight delays, cancellations News
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US representatives introduce legislation to hold airlines accountable for flight delays, cancellations

US representatives Tuesday unveiled new legislation which would subject airlines to penalties for selling tickets or delaying or canceling flights when they know they do not have sufficient staff to safely conduct the flight. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and David Cicilline (D-RI) unveiled the Ensuring Friendly Skies for Passengers Act to empower the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and states’ attorney generals to hold airlines accountable for the delays and flight cancellations that have plagued American airline passengers in recent months.

The legislation removes a longstanding exemption which protected airlines from antitrust law violations. Should the legislation pass, airlines would face penalties for canceling a flight less than four hours, for domestic flights, or six hours, for international flights, prior to takeoff when they knew they had insufficient staff to chart the flight at least two days ahead of time.

In addition to setting these parameters, the legislation also authorizes 100 new FTC employees to dedicate their time and effort towards enforcement. Schakowsky and Cicilline are especially critical of airlines in light of the $54 billion bailout which saved airlines from financial distress during the COVID-19 era lockdowns.

Schakowsky said the “airline industry must be held accountable for the harm they are causing: the missed life events, time separated from family and friends, and the stress of navigating a travel system that isn’t putting consumers first.” Cicilline expressed a similar sentiment, commenting: “After taking tens of billions of dollars in taxpayer money during Covid, it is completely inexcusable that the major airlines are short staffed and canceling thousands of flights a day.”

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