Airlines critical of DOT's latest effort to publicize flight delay compensation

Major US airlines are criticizing the Biden administration's latest plans to publicly pressure them into offering additional passenger benefits. The group that represents the nation's largest air carriers, Airlines for America, says the Department of Transportation's latest ask of air carriers involves delayed passengers and would be "punitive" rather than provide transparency to customers. "We support practical solutions that will actually improve the customer experience and strengthen operations across the National Airspace System -- this latest request by the Department of Transportation is not one of those," Airlines for America said. Ahead of the busy Labor Day weekend, DOT rolled out a so-called dashboard specifying what benefits the 10 largest US airlines have committed to provide travelers when flights are interrupted. The dashboard was launched in response to a summer that saw nearly 56,000 flight cancellations, and when airlines and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg were sparring over whose staffing issues were most to blame for the mess. The White House said launching the dashboard pressured airlines to improve their fine print policies. But airlines are taking exception to the DOT's plans to add additional information to the dashboard. Airlines for America and the Department of Transportation declined to comment on the specifics of the government's request and plans. Reuters reported the ask is that airlines commit to providing travelers who they delay by more than three hours with credits, frequent flier points or $100. Airlines were asked to respond to the request by Monday.<br/>