Airlines oppose U.S. push on flight delay compensation

Major U.S. airlines oppose U.S. Transportation Department (USDOT) plans to update a government dashboard to show if carriers will voluntarily compensate passengers for lengthy delays within airlines control, a trade group told Reuters on Friday. This is the latest effort by the department to prod the airline industry into voluntarily committing to provide compensation and other benefits to passengers impacted by flight problems. Airlines and USDOT sparred over the summer about who was to blame for tens of thousands of flight delays and cancellations. A senior USDOT attorney involved in aviation consumer protection issues asked major airlines in emails to answer by Monday whether they will commit to providing $100, frequent flyer miles or airline travel vouchers for delays of three hours or more when delays are the fault of the airline, according to three people briefed on the matter. USDOT also wants airlines to commit to compensating consumers for canceled flights when it results in at least a three-hour delay. The department then plans to post the results on a government dashboard it released last month, according to the sources. USDOT also asked carriers to commit to rebooking passengers on non-partner airlines.<br/>